


I always wanted a real home

by softlass27



Series: Loving you the way I do [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Dad Robert Sugden, Gen, Gilmore Girls AU, Jack Sugden's A+ parenting, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, Teen AU, the slowest of slow burns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 02:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23670604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softlass27/pseuds/softlass27
Summary: After the arrival of his son turns seventeen-year-old Robert Sugden's life upside down, he's determined to be the best dad he possibly can. The only way he can do that is by getting away from his family and the place where he grew up.When he stumbles into a little village called Emmerdale, he's lucky enough to find a new job, a new home and a new start. And a new friend in Aaron Dingle, the moody mechanic-slash-barman with a heart of gold. Sure, he's possibly the fittest bloke Robert's ever seen, but that's all they are. Definitely just friends. Yep.ORA Gilmore Girls AU :D
Relationships: Aaron Dingle & Robert Sugden, Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Series: Loving you the way I do [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704394
Comments: 151
Kudos: 238





	1. The great escape

**Author's Note:**

> Gosh okay, so this is my first time writing proper fanfiction. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I couldn't get this idea out of my head. Any comments, criticisms, kudos you want to leave, please feel free!

_ May 2018 _

“Right, I’ve left a list of what needs doing this morning on the kitchen table. Don’t think you being up all night means you can shirk your responsibilities.”

Robert tightened his grip on the baby monitor in his hand and nodded at his father. 

“Seriously Rob,” Andy moaned, shrugging on his coat. “Can you not do something to get him to stop screeching when we’re trying to sleep?” 

Robert barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Funnily enough, you can’t reason with a baby, Andy. I should know, I’ve been trying with you long enough.”

“Alright, don’t start,” Jack interjected gruffly, grabbing his keys from the counter. “We’ll be at the market until around noon at the latest, then we’re back straight after. Try not to cause any bother until then.”

“Maybe have some dinner ready for when we get back, too, eh?” Andy clapped Robert's back on his way out the door, only stopping to throw a smirk over his shoulder.

Robert gritted his teeth and didn’t say anything, watching the pair of them walk to the car and climb in. He watched Jack start the engine and reverse onto the main road. He watched the car drive away, holding his breath until it disappeared around the corner.

Then he sprang into action.

****

_November 2017  
  
_ It was safe to say, Robert’s life hadn’t quite worked out the way he’d expected. Just a few months earlier, he’d been full of plans for the future. For years he’d been saving as much money as he could – weekend work, odd jobs in the nearby villages, birthday money, doing other kids’ coursework in exchange for cash. Any penny he could get his hands on, he’d saved it. Just waiting for the day he had enough to get away.

Away from the farm he reluctantly called home, away from a father who never failed to find faults in him. Away from an adopted brother who thought he was better than Robert in every way and made sure he knew it. Away from the memories of a mother whose absence he felt so vividly it made him feel physically sick some days.

At seventeen, he’d had enough time out of school to take on even more work – when his dad wasn’t forcing him to help out on the farm, that was. He’d been so close to having enough saved to get into his car (an old banger that barely worked half the time, but he’d worry about that later) and drive away from his old life towards a new one. The one he was meant to have.

And then one day, a very pale Rebecca White had shown up on his doorstep with mascara smudged under her eyes and a scan in her hand. 

Rebecca had never meant much to Robert one way or another; she was just the sister of his ex-girlfriend. Except. About three months earlier, Robert had decided to show his face at a house party Chrissie was throwing. It was probably a bad idea, considering their breakup had been a pretty nasty one (her catching him with his hand down Connor Jensen’s trousers probably had something to do with that), but he was bored, and it was an opportunity for a night away from home and some free booze. Chrissie’s dad’s house was so ridiculously massive, he doubted she’d even notice him in the crowd. 

He’d milled around for awhile, knocking back drinks and chatting with people he hadn’t seen since his GCSE results day the year before. Trying to think of something to say other than _still at the farm_ when they asked what he was up to these days. It wasn’t like he’d tell anyone he was planning on getting the hell out of this place sooner rather than later; he couldn’t risk that somehow getting back to Andy, which would mean it getting back to his dad. 

It wasn’t until he was well on his way to wasted that he bumped into Rebecca, who was equally sloshed. One thing lead to another, and then, well. It wasn’t long before the two of them were locking Rebecca’s bedroom door and tumbling onto the mattress. And in all honesty, until that fateful day three months later, when she tearfully blurted out that she was pregnant with his child, he’d never given Rebecca White another thought.

The months that followed had been a blur of a red-faced Lawrence White screaming about what Robert had done to his precious daughter, Rebecca wringing her hands and panicking over her friends finding out, and the inevitable fallout that came with Robert’s family learning the truth. Jack shouting out words like _disappointment_ , _ashamed_ and _how could you be so_ ** _stupid_** _, Robert?_ Diane shaking her head in concern and giving heavy sighs every time Jack’s face turned a deeper shade of red. Andy looking smug while his girlfriend, Katie, stood behind him (because apparently shagging Andy gave her the right to be involved in their family’s business) with barely concealed glee on her stuck up face. The only person who hadn’t acted like this wasn’t a total disaster was Victoria. But she was just a kid, all she really heard was the fact that she was about to be an aunt to a new baby and that was enough to make her happy. As far as anyone else was concerned, Robert Sugden had fucked up properly this time.

Robert had taken it all – the shocked faces, the frantic yelling, the looks of disappointment – in near silence. He was too lost in his own terror to focus too much on anyone else. 

On the day the baby eventually arrived, in the early hours of the 9th November, Robert arrived at Rebecca’s hospital room at exactly 4:15am. She was staring at the impossibly small bundle lying in a little crib with an oddly blank expression on her face. As he walked over to the bed, heart in his throat, she’d looked up at him and said, “It’s a boy. His name’s Sebastian. Seb.”

“Okay. I like that,” He whispered, gingerly sitting down next to her legs.

“I’m not keeping him.”

“You – _what?_ ” 

“Look, I’m sorry but I’m not cut out for this. I’m sixteen, I’ve got a life to live. I can’t give everything up to be a mum, I just can’t. So either you take him now or… Dad can call someone, have him put up for adoption. It’s up to you.”

And that had been that.

In a daze, Robert had called Diane, who drove to the hospital, bringing a new carseat with her, and took them both home. Although Robert had never been particularly close to his stepmother, not the way Andy and Victoria were, that day he was more grateful to her than words could say. She showed him how to feed and burp Seb, how to wash and change him, how to hold him properly. She dragged Victoria’s old cot out of the garage and into Robert’s room, scrubbing it clean and putting soft new blankets in it. She smiled down at Seb, calling him a _bonny boy_ and rubbing Robert’s shoulder as he wondered if maybe, just _maybe_ , he could do this.

Jack was out in the fields all day and didn’t put in appearance until long after teatime, poking his head around Robert’s bedroom door.  “He all settled then?”

“Think so.”

“Right. Don’t bother Diane for the rest of the night; if the lad needs anything then you see to him, yes?” _It’s your mess, you deal with it._

Robert swallowed thickly. “Yes.”

“Night then.”

“Night.”

And then it was just Robert and his son. God, his _son_. He was a dad. Seb’s dad. 

As if on cue, soft cries came from the cot where Seb lay, and Robert darted over, picking him up and holding him as tightly as he dared. A few gentle bounces and shushing sounds were enough to quiet him again, but Robert didn’t put him back down. Instead he sat on his bed, carefully leaning back against the pillows and gazing down at the little boy snuffling in his arms.

“Hiya,” He whispered, hardly daring to breathe. “You don’t know me yet. But I’m your daddy. I’ll be honest, you weren’t exactly… part of the plan. There was other stuff I thought I’d be doing by now. But you… you changed everything. Everything’s about you from now on, okay?”

Seb blinked sleepily up at him, waving a tiny hand in the air until it hit Robert’s own hand, which seemed so giant in comparison. He listened to the sounds of Jack shuffling around downstairs, felt his bottom lip wobble as he stroked a finger against Seb’s.

“I might get it wrong sometimes, but I promise you, I won’t stop trying to be the best dad I can be. I won’t let you down, not now, not ever.”

Seb hand curled against Robert’s until it clenched onto Robert’s thumb, holding it in a shockingly tight grip. Robert let out a wet laugh and pressed a feathery light kiss to his son’s forehead.

“You’re my boy. And I love you.”  


****

_May 2018_

Robert dragged every empty suitcase and bag he could find into his and Seb’s room, moving as quickly as he could without disturbing his son. As the six-month-old lay peacefully in his cot, Robert quickly started grabbing Seb’s belongings – every piece of clothing, every pair of shoes, every nappy, every bottle – and shoving them into the bags. He folded the changing mat and baby blankets, scrunching them up until they were as small as possible. 

After checking that Seb was still content staring up at his mobile, kicking his little feet in the air, Robert stood back and bit his lip as he surveyed the amassing pile of belongings on the floor. How the hell was all of this going to fit in the car?

There was no way he could take the cot; the Moses basket would have to do for now, just until he could get himself sorted. His heart clenched as he realised he probably didn’t have room for all of Seb’s toys and books, either. He darted around the room, grabbing the ones he knew were his son’s favourites, silently vowing to buy him some new ones as soon as he was able.

When there was one empty backpack left, Robert turned to his wardrobe, pulling out as many clothes as he could fit inside. He also allowed himself the travel-sized toiletries he’d stocked up on the week before, his laptop and his old paperback of _The Hobbit_ with a couple of photos of his mum and Victoria between the pages.

Once the bag was full, he pulled on a few extra clothes, layering jumpers over t-shirts. He’d be boiling within hours, but it couldn’t be helped. Shrugging his denim jacket over his now unusually bulky shoulders, he went to the dresser and pulled out the last things he’d need to keep – his passport and Seb’s birth certificate. Tucking them safely into one pocket and the baby monitor into the other, he started bounding up and down the stairs with the bags, getting them into his car as quickly as possible. It was a pain in the arse; he had to put the back seats down and do quite a lot of shoving, but he made it work.

When there was nothing left, Robert went back to his room, slowing down as he reached the cot and smiled at his son. “You have no clue what’s going on, do you?” Seb gurgled at him in response. “Thought as much. Right, let’s get you sorted, yeah?”

He moved Seb from the cot to the floor, putting on the little outfit that he’d laid out in preparation the night before. Once he’d buttoned up Seb’s cosiest onesie – the one with teddy bear ears that Victoria had happily purchased with her pocket money – he picked him up and made his way back to the cot, leaning over to unscrew the baby mobile with one hand, its tiny plush sheep knocking together as he took it off. “Don’t worry, you know I wouldn’t leave this behind.” 

With the mobile slung over one arm and his son in the other, he spared one last glance around the room that he would probably never see again. Let his eyes wander over the piles of comics on the shelves and faded football posters on the wall, before shaking his head and going down the stairs once more. Jack’s car could reappear at any moment, he didn’t have time for this.

It wasn't long before the baby mobile was wedged in the footwell of the car, Robert was behind the wheel and Seb was settled in his car seat with his favourite stuffed giraffe for company. Robert slid the key into the ignition and hesitated. He took a moment to imagine Jack seeing the note he’d left on the kitchen table, Diane’s face when she saw the ransacked bedroom, Victoria’s tears when she found her own note that he’d tucked under her pillow (he didn’t trust Jack to give it to her if it was left with the one for the rest of the family). God, he hoped she’d understand.

A whine from Seb startled him out of his daze. “Sorry mate, Daddy’s just being daft. We're going.” After one last check that he had his wallet and phone, he took a breath, started the car and turned onto the road. He didn't look back.


	2. A bit of luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW, I am blown away by the response this got. Thank you so much for the comments and kudos on the first chapter, I honestly didn't expect that much interest. I hope you enjoy the next one!

“Mate, are you kidding me?” Robert shot an incredulous glance at his son, who was smiling innocently in the carseat. As if he didn’t have a dirty nappy less than an hour into their journey. A _very_ dirty nappy, if the smell rapidly filling the car was anything to go by. Christ, they weren’t even out of the Dales yet.

“I don’t think you quite get that we’re on a bit of mission, here.”

“Bah!”

“I know you can’t help it, but it’s not exactly ideal. Right, we’d better find somewhere to get you sorted. Could probably do with some grub while we’re at it, yeah?”

There was no sign of any services coming up, so Robert turned off the main road at the next exit. It wasn’t long before he spotted a sign for the next village – _Emmerdale_ – and headed in that direction. A local cafe would probably be a better shout than some grubby roadside diner for getting Seb fed and changed.

He drove into the village, crawling past cottages that looked identical to the ones in every other village he’d seen growing up in Yorkshire, until he spotted what he was looking for and parked up. “This looks alright. Let’s get you out of this car before I actually pass out from the fumes. Honestly Seb, _why_?”

The cafe was small but clean and homely-looking, and there weren’t many people inside apart from two employees, a middle-aged man and woman. Robert ordered himself a sandwich and a coffee, and asked the man behind the counter if he minded heating up Seb’s bottle, who happily took it from him and said he’d bring everything over when it was ready. Robert dumped his bag on the nearest sofa before grabbing supplies and taking an increasingly fussy Seb to the toilets. When he returned with a much cleaner child, everything he’d ordered was laid out on the table. As usual, it didn’t take Seb long to start greedily sucking on his bottle, and Robert allowed himself to relax as he sat back and contemplated his next move.

His instinct was to put a healthy distance between himself and the farm. If it was just him, that certainly would have been the plan; keep driving until he reached a city like London or Edinburgh, or hell, drive to an airport and hop on the next plane. But it wasn’t just him anymore, so that wasn’t going to work.

He had to find a job and somewhere safe to stay – fast. And the further he drove, the more he’d need to spend on petrol, which wasn’t cheap. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t exactly trust his car to get them very far in its current condition, and breaking down and getting stuck on the side of some random road was absolutely _not_ an option.

Staying close to home seemed to kind of defeat the point of running away, but then if anyone went searching for him, somewhere close by would probably be the last place they’d look. _Right, as if they’ll bother to come looking for you._

“I see you’ve been stuck with babysitting duties?”

Robert blinked and looked up to see the woman who worked at the cafe smiling down at him. “Sorry?”

“I’m guessing he’s your little brother, is he? You giving your parents a day off?”

Robert tensed and tried very hard not get defensive; it wasn’t the first time someone had made the assumption and it probably wouldn’t be the last. He couldn’t exactly blame them.

“No, uh… he’s my son, actually.”

The woman paused for a moment, her eyes flickering between his face and Seb’s for a moment. “Oh I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have presumed.”

“No problem.”

She perched on the arm of the chair across from him, gazing down at Seb, who looked back at her with mild interest. “He’s a lovely little thing. D’you know, I think he has your – ”

“Brenda, stop bothering the lad, let him have his meal in peace!” The other cafe employee – or perhaps the owner – came over and patted her on the shoulder, before grinning at Robert.

“He is a cute one, though, isn’t he? What’s his name?”

“Seb. Sebastian, but I call him Seb.”

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, young Seb. And you are, son?”

“Robert.”

“So, what brings you to Emmerdale?”

Robert stared at the pair of them, slightly baffled. Did everyone who came in here have to give their life story? “… We’re just passing through.”

“Driving with a baby is a nightmare, I remember that much,” The woman – Brenda – piped up again. “You know, there’s a very nice B&B just across the street, not too expensive, either. If you need somewhere to stay at all? You look a bit exhausted, love.”

“I don’t think – ”

“It’s dangerous to drive when you’re sleep-deprived, you know. You really should take a rest if you need it.”

“Well I – ”

“You tell them Bob and Brenda sent you, they’ll give you a nice room for the night.”  


****

Robert looked up at the large stone building in front of him, _The Grange_ , according to the sign on the lawn. He couldn’t deny that it looked nice, with ivy crawling up the walls and colourful flower baskets swinging gently in the breeze. Brenda hadn’t been wrong; he was knackered, the previous sleepless night and the adrenaline-filled morning catching up with him. It probably wasn’t a good idea to keep going in this state, but he’d have to see if he could afford a room first.

As he walked up the gravel, he spotted a piece of paper stuck against the main window and stopped in his tracks.

** WANTED **

** FULL-TIME DOMESTIC ASSISTANT **

** HOUSEKEEPING, FOOD SERVICE, GENERAL MAINTENANCE **

** PLEASE ENQUIRE WITHIN **

After reading it through a second time, just to check his eyes weren’t deceiving him, he swung Seb in front of him until they were face to face. “Right, listen to me for a second because this is important. When we go in there, I need you to turn on the charm, okay? That means no crying, no trumping, no pooping. Absolutely no grabbing anyone’s hair, you know we’ve talked about that. Can you do that for me, just for the next few minutes?”

Seb shoved a fist into his mouth. 

“I’ll take that.”

With as much confidence as he could muster, Robert pushed the door open and walked up the reception, where a young blonde woman sat flicking through a magazine until she spotted him approaching the desk.

“Are you checking in?”

“Actually, I wanted to ask about the vacancy? For the domestic assistant job?”

“Oh right, you’ll want Eric, he’s the owner. Wait here a minute!” Chucking the magazine down, she slipped through a door that Robert guessed led to an office. It wasn’t long before a smartly-dressed elderly man appeared in her place.

“Eric Pollard,” he offered out a hand, which Robert shook quickly, angling his body to ensure there was no way Seb’s fingers could reach the thick moustache on the man’s face. “Robert Sugden.”

“Tracy tells me you’re interested in the assistant position?”

“Very much, yeah. And I can start straight away.”

“Do you have any experience in the hospitality industry?

“Not in hotels, but I’ve worked in restaurants, so I’m good with customers. I’ve also done farm work, so I can do manual labour. And I’m a fast learner.”

“Well, if you have a reference I can call, we can give you a try, see how it goes? Now about the salary – ”

“Actually, I was wondering if there was an option for room and board?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“With a reduced wage, obviously. I’m… between homes at the moment and I know hotel jobs sometimes come with a room, especially out in the countryside.”

Eric blinked and frowned slightly at him. “Young man, this is a bed and breakfast, not a stately home. Now if we could get back to what I’m actually offering – ”

“Eric! Who are these two handsome boys?” A woman about Eric’s age with heavy eyeliner and jet black hair piled high on top of her head suddenly appeared at his side.

“He’s asking about the assistant position, and I was just telling him that room and board is decidedly _not_ part of the job description I put out.”

The woman gave Robert a once-over. “You need somewhere to stay, love?”

“I was hoping so.”

“Eric, why don’t you let him use the… ” She jerked her thumb toward the back of the building.

“No, Faith, I’ve told you – ”

“Look,” Robert interjected. “I’m a hard worker, okay? The hardest worker you’ll ever have. I will do anything; scrub floors, clean toilets, fix anything that’s broken, whatever you want. And I’ll do it for next to nothing. I don’t need much, I just need somewhere for us to sleep, even if it’s just temporary. Please.”

The woman tilted her head towards Eric, widening her eyes at him until he sighed, looking Robert up and down before gesturing towards Seb.

“He’s yours?” Robert nodded. “It’s just the two of you?” Another nod.

“How old is he?”

“Six months, and he wouldn’t be a bother. Honestly, he’s a really good baby,” Robert assured him, praying that Seb wouldn’t pick this moment to make Eric think otherwise.

“And you’re how old, exactly?”

“I turned eighteen last month, I’m an adult so I can work full-time, I promise you. You can check my ID.” He began to fish his wallet out of his pocket.

Eric stared at him with an unreadable expression on his face, before holding up a hand. “That won’t be necessary. Follow me.” He turned and started making his way out of the room. Robert froze and looked at the woman uncertainly.

“Go on, then! Before misery guts changes his mind!”

Robert hurried after Eric until he caught up to him, walking closely behind as he took them through a door and out into the back garden. 

“Here we are.” It was a small one-storey outbuilding, with sturdy-looking stone walls and gardening tools propped against one side. Eric fumbled with his keys until he found the right one, unlocking the wooden door and shoving until it swung open with a creak. “In you come, then.”

Robert followed him inside to see a decently-sized room with bare walls and dusty floorboards. It was completely empty aside from a small stove in the far right corner. Hoisting Seb higher in his arms, he ducked his head through a doorway to his left, finding a tiny bathroom. He turned back to see Eric running a hand along a windowsill thoughtfully.

“My wife and I had started converting this place into an extra room, a private suite for couples. Romantic weekends, that sort of thing. But truth be told, after she died… I rather went off the idea, so it’s been left in a bit of a state for quite some time now. But the plumbing and electric works, and we had double-glazing and heating put in, so it should be warm enough. It’s not much, but with a bit of elbow grease it might do for you both, at least for the time being?” 

Robert stared at him, hardly daring to believe it. It couldn’t be that easy. “It’s… yeah, it’s. It's perfect.”

“I don’t have any furniture for you, mind.”

“No no, that’s fine! Our stuff’s in my car and I can get anything else we need.”

“Right then. Well, it’s Friday today, let’s say you start on Monday? You’ll have the weekend to get this place in order and settle in?”

“Yeah, that works.”

“I’ll leave you to it, then. Give Tracy a number for a reference when you have a moment, and we can discuss your _reduced_ salary later.” And with that, he turned on his heel and walked out, muttering something that sounded a lot like, “I must be going soft,” on his way out.

Before Robert even had a chance to take in what had just happened, there was a knock at the door and the black-haired woman reappeared. “Yoo hoo, only me! He’s agreed to let you stay, then?”

“He has, yeah.”

“Good, I’ve been telling him for ages to stop letting this place go to waste. If he wasn’t going to let me use it as a walk-in wardrobe then someone else should have the chance to make use of it. Here, I thought you could use these.”

She darted back outside and returned with an array of cleaning supplies, as well as a mop and broom. “You’ll be wanting to get this place nice and clean, especially for the bairn. I’m Faith, by the way. Faith Dingle.” 

“Robert Sugden. And this is Seb Sugden.”

“Well it’s very nice to meet you both, we don’t often get new faces round here, especially ones as nice as yours. If you don’t mind me asking, what’re you planning to do with the little one while you’re at work? If it’s just the two of you?”

“Er,” Robert bit his lip. _Shit._ “I haven’t quite got as far as… childcare arrangements yet.” God, she was going to think he was useless. 

Faith eyed him for a moment, before smiling. “Well, it’s worth checking at the church, they’ll probably be able to offer a bit of advice with that. They do all sorts of stuff for the kids round here, we’ve even got baby _yoga_ now!”

Robert couldn’t think of anything more nightmarish. “I will, thank you.”

“And you know,” she paused, “I wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on him now and then. I do have a fair bit of experience with children. I have a rather large family, you see.”

“That’s… really nice of you, but won’t Eric mind?” Robert really, _really_ couldn’t afford to piss off his boss when he’d barely even started. Faith only laughed. “Don’t you worry about Eric, his bark is worse than his bite these days. He minds what I tell him to mind.” She winked and gave Robert a wide grin that he couldn’t help returning, until Seb suddenly started fussing and wriggling in his arms.

“Well!” Faith clapped her hands together and headed for the door. “I won’t keep you any longer, you see to your lad. I hope you boys will be happy here.” And with that, she was gone, swinging the door shut behind her.

Robert cuddled Seb closer in his arms, giving him a tight squeeze and letting out a shaky breath. 

“Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I promise we'll see Aaron soon, just hang tight.
> 
> I'm aware that the B&B has no such extra building, but that's me following Gilmore Girls canon, rather than Emmerdale's. For those who are interested, this is what it looked like in the show: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/266345765435620488/
> 
> Of course, Robert's version would be made of brick instead of wood because this is Yorkshire, not Connecticut, but it's a rough visual of where he and Seb have ended up.


	3. The first weekend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I'm introducing more characters, I realised I should probably explain that I've kind of played havoc with everyone's ages, so here's a quick rundown.
> 
> Robert is 18, and I've made Aaron and Adam the same age as him. And maybe a couple of the other younger characters in the show, I haven't quite decided yet.  
> Apart from that, everyone else in the village is pretty much the same as they currently are in the show.  
> The Sugdens (Jack, Diane, Andy and Victoria) are the ages they were back when canon Robert actually was 18 in the show.
> 
> Hope that all makes sense, but feel free to ask me to clarify anything!

_ Sunday morning_

Robert awoke slowly, the sounds of birdsong outside and Seb's loud babbling pulling him out of sleep.  He stretched until his shoulders popped, before pushing himself out of bed and shuffling over to the new cot. He rested his elbows on the frame, lightly batting the little sheep on the reinstated baby mobile. Seb shrieked with delight, arms flailing like mad.

“Yeah, I know you missed these guys. Come on, up you get.”

He’d just finished getting Seb changed and dressed when there was a knock at the door and Faith came breezing through, brandishing a paper bag towards him. “We had some croissants left over from breakfast, fresh n’all! Thought you might be interested.”

Robert had decided he liked Faith a lot. She’d popped by with a cup of tea several times the day before, checking on his progress with the furniture he’d been trying to assemble. She hadn’t helped, as such (“Sorry sweetheart, I’ve just done my nails.”), but she’d kept Seb occupied for a bit, meaning Robert actually stood a chance of getting everything done before the day was over.

Now she stepped further into the room, letting out an impressed whistle. “Look at this place, I barely recognise it!”

Robert couldn’t help giving her a pleased grin. “Yeah, it’s not bad is it?”

“I thought teenage boys were supposed to be messy, dirty socks everywhere and all that. Lord knows my grandson’s room is worse than a pigsty. But this is lovely, Robert.”

The place still wasn’t anything amazing to look at, but it was a stark improvement on the state it had been in 48 hours earlier.

****

_ Friday afternoon _

It hadn’t taken Robert long to haul their stuff out of the car and dump everything haphazardly in the room. After Seb went to sleep in his Moses basket mercifully quickly, he wasted no time settling beside him and connecting his laptop to the B&B’s WI-FI. He checked his savings account one more time – even though he knew exactly how much was in there, down to the penny – and began some serious Internet shopping. 

One by one, he worked his way through every Amazon product that he’d had saved on his wishlist for weeks now. A cot, a highchair and a pushchair for Seb – the lowest priced ones he’d been able to find that still had good reviews. Then a cheap single bed and mattress for himself, a clothes rail, a small fridge, basic kitchen supplies, and some plain curtains for the windows. He hesitated over the rest – chairs, tables, bookshelves – before closing those tabs. Not essential.

He cast a glance around the room once more, biting his lip when his eyes fell to the bare floorboards and he noticed for the first time just how rough they looked. According to the online forums, Seb would most likely start crawling within the next month or so (God help him), a harsh wooden floor couldn’t be great for his hands and knees. Robert did a quick search for rugs, choosing ones where the product description assured him that they were “extra soft”.

Clicking through to the checkout, he selected next day delivery on everything, wincing slightly at the extra cost. He closed the laptop and looked over at Seb, who was beginning to stir, chubby legs kicking the edge of the basket until it shook. He reached in and patted his tummy. “Your proper bed’s on the way, promise.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the sunlight catch an large spider’s web on the wall. Looked at the dust marks on his jeans from where he’d been sitting on the floor. _Yeah, that’s not gonna work._

Robert laid Seb’s playmat out in the corner, surrounding it with pillows and plopping him down in the middle with some toys. “You sit tight for a bit while I clean this place up, okay?” He threw open the windows to let in some fresh air, grabbed the supplies Faith had left and got to work. Every inch of the place was swept and scrubbed until it was as spotless as he could make it, only stopping whenever Seb needed feeding or changing.

By the time he was done, the sun was setting and he was well and truly knackered. He barely had the energy to change Seb into some pyjamas and spread out a few blankets on the floor for a makeshift bed. The only thing that stopped him from passing out there and then was his rumbling stomach, so he rooted around in the bags in semi-darkness until he found some of the snacks he’d brought. 

Scoffing down a cereal bar, he continued to rummage through their stuff and pulled out a long string of battery-operated fairy lights. They’d once belonged to Victoria, until she chucked them after receiving some tacky pink ones for her eleventh birthday a few weeks ago. Robert had rescued them from the bin and squirrelled them away in his room, figuring they’d be much easier to pack and take away with him than an actual lamp.

He spread the string out around them on the floor and switched them on, before picking Seb up and sitting him in his lap. The room was now illuminated with a soft yellow glow, and Seb reached his hands out towards the lights in fascination. “Yeah, that’s better, isn’t it?” 

Robert rocked him slightly from side to side, as he did every night. Taking in the unfamiliar surroundings, he could hardly believe it was only 24 hours ago they’d been doing the same thing in his childhood bedroom. His mind wandered back to the farm, to Victoria. _Has she read the letter? Is she upset? Is Diane? Is Dad furious or does he not even care?_

Robert had made sure to leave his phone on aeroplane mode, ensuring that no one from home could contact him. He’d considered taking it off a few times over the course of the day, but decided against it. He didn’t know which would be worse – seeing that his family had tried to contact him or that they hadn’t.

As Seb’s head began to nod against his chest, Robert shifted him from his arms to the Moses basket, lightly stroking a finger down his nose until his eyes fell closed. He watched him drowsily, taking in the slow rise and fall of his chest, until he was barely able to keep him own eyes open any longer. He stretched and sighed, before grabbing a blanket and collapsing on his back, too exhausted to dwell any longer. _It’s done. No going back now._

With one hand tucked under his head and the other resting against the side of the Moses basket, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

****

_Sunday morning _

“How did you get all this stuff here so quickly, anyway?” Faith asked, stroking a hand along one of the white curtains.

Robert swallowed a mouthful of croissant and shrugged. “Powers of the internet.”

“Oh, I can never get the hang of all that online stuff, Google and the like. And Eric is even worse, he hardly ever uses the computer.”

“Not even for the B&B?”

Faith shook her head, before shooting him a sly grin. “Hey, I hear you two have been making friends? Most popular boys in the village already!”

Robert rolled his eyes. “You could say that.”

****

_Saturday morning_

After an uncomfortable night on the floor, Robert took Seb back to the cafe, determined to grab a strong caffeine fix before all of their stuff was delivered. It was a lot busier than it had been the day before, but as soon as Bob spotted them, he came bounding over.  “Robert! We hear you got yourself a job at the B&B, that’s brilliant! Not sure I’d want to work with Eric, though, rather you than me,” he chuckled, steering a startled Robert towards the counter and a large group of people. “Everyone, this is Robert and Seb, the boys Brenda was telling you about!”

And suddenly, Robert was being accosted by a host of new – mostly older – faces. There was a woman named Pearl, who rushed forward to pinch Seb’s cheek and looked like she was trying very hard to resist pinching Robert’s, too. A man with questionable fashion and hair choices named Rodney. Doug and his daughter, Laurel, who was holding a toddler with hair an even brighter shade blonde than Seb’s. She cheerfully introduced the toddler as Dotty and suggested that Robert and Seb come round for a playdate sometime. 

In fact, none of them hesitated to invite Robert and Seb round, some of them even offering to babysit if he needed it. Just when Robert thought he couldn’t be any more taken aback, a woman named Harriet came over and introduced herself as the local vicar. She smiled kindly at them both and told Robert that if he needed any help settling in, he was welcome to ask her. That her sort-of daughter, Dawn, was a single parent, too.

By the time Robert managed to get a (large, very large) Americano and exit the cafe, he was slightly shellshocked. He looked down at Seb, who seemed entirely unbothered by the whole thing, and took a sip. “News doesn’t half travel fast around here.”

****

_Sunday morning _

“I hear you’ve even had some babysitting offers, too!”

Robert shrugged. “They were probably just being polite.” 

“Oh no, I’m sure they meant it. I doubt anyone could resist a handsome little fella like your Seb. And it’d give you a bit of time to yourself.”

Robert felt himself bristling, a familiar defensiveness rising within him. He knew she didn't mean anything by it, but – “I can’t just go round dumping him on random people, I can take care of him myself.”

Faith watched him carefully for a moment. “Of course you can, love. There’s nothing wrong with asking for a bit of help, though. Or taking it when it’s offered, for that matter, eh?” She looked down at Seb for a moment, watched him wriggle around on his mat.

“And you know!” she smiled brightly. “Him spending a bit of time with other people will give _you_ the chance to meet some people your own age, maybe? Don’t get me wrong now, Pearl and Brenda are lovely ladies, but they’re no spring chickens. Not a lot of fun, either.”

Robert snorted. “I’ll tell them you said that.”

“Eh, it’s nothing I haven’t said to their faces,” Faith waved a hand carelessly before pressing on. “Now my grandson, Aaron, is the same age as you. And his friend, Adam Barton, he’s a lovely lad. Not the brightest tool in the shed, I’ll grant you, but he’s a good-looking boy so he’ll get by in life.”

“And what’s Aaron like?”

“He lives in the pub next door with my daughter – she’s the landlady – and he works in the garage with my lad, Cain. Although they seem to spend less time fixing cars and more time hurling insults at each other, from what I can tell. They can both be moody so-and-sos, it was bound to happen. To be fair, I think the only one Aaron likes spending time with apart from Adam is that dog of his.”

“Uh, you’re not really selling him here, Faith.”

“No no, don’t get me wrong! I love the bones him, he’s just… had a bit of a tough time of it. He only came here a few years ago when his dad – well. The less said about that lowlife, the better.” Robert was surprised when Faith’s eyes suddenly darkened with what he could only describe as pure hatred. It was the first time he’d seen her look anything other than relentlessly cheerful. “It took him a while to settle, but things are better now. He’s a good boy, he really is,” she insisted earnestly.

“Guess I’ll have to meet him, then,” said Robert, though privately he wasn’t quite so sure.

Faith stuck around for a little while longer, swiping one of the croissants for herself and chatting about what Robert should expect on his first shift tomorrow, before leaving Robert to do some last bits of unpacking.

The hours passed by relatively quickly, Robert playing with Seb and continuing to avoid looking at his phone. As day drew to a close, he strapped Seb into his new pushchair, which turned out to be a more complicated feat than he thought was necessary. “Where the hell does this one go, fuck’s sake – you didn’t hear that, bud.”  Eventually he got them out the door and began heading down the main street. It was nice evening, the only signs of life coming from the muffled laughter in the pub and the odd light turning on in the cottage windows. 

They strolled along in relative peace, until the silence was suddenly shattered by a series of loud barks. Seb jumped and let out a cry, his face scrunching up in displeasure. Robert instantly crouched down to soothe him, before whipping his head round in irritation, searching for whatever had given his son a fright. Up ahead, he spotted a massive German Shepherd bounding towards a nearby field, its tail wagging wildly. Just as he considered lifting Seb up out of the dog's reach, just in case, a broad-shouldered man flew past him, jogging after the dog. He was wearing a purple hoodie with the hood up, so Robert couldn’t get a look at his face. 

“Clyde, get back here!” the man shouted and to Robert’s surprise, the dog instantly stopped in its tracks, waiting obediently until he caught up to him. The man put a leash on the dog – _Clyde_ – and set off again with his back to Robert, one hand holding the leash tightly and the other shoved in his pocket. Robert watched as they walked further away, until they disappeared from view behind the church.

He turned back to Seb, who still looked slightly disgruntled, twisting around in his seat. “Alright, that’s enough exploring for now, eh? Big day tomorrow.” He swung the pushchair around, and headed home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Seb's beloved sheep mobile: https://www.preciouslittleone.com/product-information/44/40062/east-coast-silver-cloud-cot-mobile-counting-sheep/


	4. The kindness of strangers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah, so this chapter took forever to write. Honestly I'm still not happy with it, but fingers crossed it's not as terrible as I'm imagining. The next chapter, on the other hand, is a dream, I'm powering through it already!

“Robert! Wait a minute, love!” 

He turned to see Faith hurrying after him, heeled boots crunching on the ground. “Where are you boys off to, then?”

“Just to David’s shop, this one’s in need of nappies. _Again._ ” He gave Seb a stern look in his pushchair. Seb blew a raspberry back at him.

“I’m heading that way myself, Eric wants some wine to go with some chicken dish he’s dishing up tonight. You’ll escort me, won’t you?” She winked, linking arms with him. Robert smiled and shook his head, before setting off again.

“So!” Faith squeezed their arms together. “How have the first few days been? You getting on alright?”

“Yeah, not bad. But then I’m guessing Eric would have let you know if I wasn’t?”

Robert was four days into working at the B&B, and truth be told, he was knackered. It wasn’t exactly rocket science, making beds and serving meals, but Eric was very _particular_ about how he wanted things done. Every pillow had to be arranged just so, each carpet required a specific hoover setting, each surface needed a certain brand of cleaning product. Who knew taking care of a little hotel in Yorkshire was so complicated?

It was a lot, but Robert wasn’t stupid or afraid of hard work (despite what his idiot of a brother used to say) and so far, there’d been nothing for Eric to find fault in. And Robert had a feeling he’d been looking.

Faith just threw her head back and laughed. “You’ve got him pegged, alright. And no, he’s had no complaints so far, which I believe is a new record for him, so well done!”

They wandered through the village, Robert listening to Faith chattering about nothing in particular.

“And I told Eric buying a convertible at his age just made him look like… Oh look, there they are. Come on, let’s say hello!” Before Robert had a chance to ask _who_ he was supposed to be saying hello to, she tugged on his arm sharply and steered him across the street until they came to a stop in front of two boys about Robert’s age.

The taller of the two had a mop of unruly dark curls, and was dressed in dirty overalls and muddy work boots. _Farmboy_ , Robert’s mind supplied instantly, and he had to stop himself from scowling at the visual reminder of Andy. 

The other lad was… okay, he was fit. More curly dark hair, only his was neatly styled with gel and closely cropped at the sides. Light stubble, strong jaw and possibly the bluest eyes Robert had ever seen. _Jesus Christ._

“Robert, this is my grandson, Aaron and his friend Adam, the ones I told you about,” said Faith. “Now you two, this is Robert and his little’n, Seb. He’s our newest member of the B&B crew, as you kids says these days. He doesn’t know anyone his age in the village yet, so I thought it was about time you all met.” She patted his shoulder. “Robert, say hello!”

Heat prickled down the back of his neck. God, it was like he was in primary school. “Uh, hiya.”

The taller one grinned widely and offered a hand, which Robert leaned over the pushchair to shake. “Alright, mate! Adam.” 

Okay, so the fit was Aaron. Robert looked over at him, wondering if he was about to offer his hand, too, but he just pushed his lips together and nodded. “Alright?”

Something in his voice sounded familiar, but before Robert could place it, Adam was crouching to pull a face at Seb and asking, “How old is he, then?” 

“Nearly seven months.”

“No way, man, my little brother’s the same! His name’s Isaac, proper little belter. He’s dead funny but he can be a total nightmare, just eats and poops literally nonstop. Every time I have to babysit I can’t wait to give him back to me mum, dunno how you do it full-time, I’d go mad…” He looked up and trailed off when he saw the nonplussed look on Robert’s face. 

Standing and scratching the back of neck, he gave a chuckle and said, “But your kid is dead cute, mate, maybe we can set them up and see if he’ll be a good influence, yeah?”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Robert faintly. _Absolutely not._

Aaron was pinching the bridge of his nose in what looked like embarrassment on behalf of his friend.

“Where are you boys off to?” asked Faith. “Not being funny but if you’re off out on the town, you both might want to think about smartening yourselves up a bit?”

“Nah, just going to get Clyde from the vets,” Aaron spoke up. “They didn’t have much on, so he’s been hanging out with Paddy for the day.”

_Clyde_. Robert’s mind flashed back to the loud German Shepherd from the other day and his owner, and it clicked. Aaron was purple hoodie man. _Super hot_ purple hoodie man.

“Well, we need to get to the shop before it closes – need to get the lad some nappies before it's too late, eh Robert?” She nudged him, while he let out an internal scream. Did she have to mention nappies?

Aaron blinked. “Alright then, bye Gran.” He nodded at Robert once more. “See you around.”

_Be normal._ “Uh, yeah, I’ll. I’ll see you.”

As the pair walked away, Faith gave him a satisfied smile. “There you go, fast friends in no time!” Clearly pleased with herself, she set off in the direction of the shop.

Robert couldn’t help shooting an incredulous look at the back of her head. What was she doing, not warning people that her grandson looked like _that_?

****

Another week passed by uneventfully. Robert had pretty much found his feet at work (Eric had even begrudgingly complimented his flower arrangements one morning) and he had a good system going with Seb. Faith loved looking after him when Robert had a shift, setting herself up in their place with a good book (one of which, to Robert’s silent horror, had turned out to be _Fifty Shades of Grey_ ) and keeping him fed and happy. It was the sort of thing that, in his quiet moments, he’d imagined his mum would have done, had she been around long enough to be a grandma.

And when Faith wasn’t free, it turned out she hadn’t been wrong about the residents of Emmerdale; they really were happy to pitch in and babysit now and then. Robert wasn’t sure if they were doing it out of the goodness of their hearts or at Faith’s insistence, but either way Robert had found himself well and truly taken under the wings of every villager over the age of fifty. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had been so willing to help him. It was a far cry from how things had been for the first six months of Seb’s life.

So yeah, things were going well. Until –

“No, no, _no_ ,” Robert whined, dropping his head against the steering wheel with a loud thud. Shockingly, it didn’t make his car start, but it did give him the beginnings of what would probably become a spectacular headache. Seb giggled from the carseat behind him.

Robert twisted around in his seat to shoot him a look. “Glad one of us thinks this is funny."

Realistically, he’d known this was coming sooner rather than later. Honestly, it was a miracle the rust bucket he called his car had managed as long as it had. He’d just hoped, somewhat naively, that it would at least make it until after his first payday before deciding to conk out on him. It had taken almost all of his savings to get their new home sorted, a dodgy engine was the last thing he needed.

“Come on, you useless piece of – " He turned the key again and again and _again_ until the engine finally started with a painful-sounding crunch, and ran with a loud rattle coming from somewhere beneath the bonnet. Yeah, that didn’t sound right. Robert tapped the wheel for a moment and quickly debated with himself. If it was just him, he might risk it but… no. No chance. Sighing, he eased the car down the street until he came to a stop outside the garage, wincing when it let out a loud _clunk_ before falling silent.

He picked Seb out of his carseat and knocked on the garage wall, calling out over the sound of a radio. “Hello, anyone here?” He heard the clang of tools coming from what looked like a small office, then, “Just a sec!” 

Aaron suddenly appeared, wearing a tight black t-shirt and blue overalls tied around his waist, wiping his hands on a grubby-looking rag. 

“Oh, hiya. What’s up?” He dropped the rag to one side and crossed his arms. Which Robert definitely did not focus his gaze on at all. _Seriously, that t-shirt must be at least one size too small._

He gave himself an internal shake and cleared his throat. “Erm, my car is – well I dunno what’s wrong with it, but it took me ages to start it and when I finally did, it made this weird rattling noise. I was hoping you could… take a look?”

Aaron blinked at him. “I can. Since it’s my job n’all.”

“Yeah, no, course – I knew that.”

“So, keys?” Aaron held his hand out, quirking one side of his mouth up.

Robert flushed lightly and handed them over. As he watched Aaron try the engine, before popping the bonnet and taking a look inside, Seb became increasingly fussy in his hold, whining loudly and yanking at Robert’s collar. He gently bounced him in his arms, silently praying to whoever was listening that his car wasn’t a write-off. He couldn’t afford for it to be a write-off. Then again, he couldn’t exactly afford to have it fixed, either.

When Aaron eventually found whatever it was he was looking for, he straightened up and closed the hood, before turning to him.

“Please tell me it’s fixable,” said Robert, rubbing Seb’s back, who looked like he was about ten seconds away from a full-blown meltdown. He knew the feeling. Hell, Seb was probably just picking up on his nervous energy.

“Yeah, I can fix it, just looks like the – “

“Before you say anything, I was wondering if – _shh Seb, give me a sec_ – if you had an option for paying in instalments or something? Or if there’s any chance it can wait until next week, when I get paid?” Robert barrelled through the hot spark of embarrassment shooting through his chest, hoping that he didn’t sound as desperate as he felt. "I’m good for it, I just have to – _hang on mate, please_ – wait for payday if you want it all at once. But I do have some cash I can give you now if you… yeah.” He hated this, hated it so much.

Aaron was silent for a moment. He looked at the car, chewing his lip. “You know what, this really won’t take long. An hour, tops. I can probably have it done before Cain gets back.”

“Okay, so…? “

Aaron tapped his fingers on the bonnet, still not looking at him. “So don’t worry about paying, yeah?”

“I – what?”

“It’s an easy fix, honestly I can do it with my eyes closed.”

Robert inhaled slowly, held it for a few seconds. “Look, I appreciate it, really, but I don’t need charity I just – “

“Robert,” Aaron cut him off, finally looking at him. “It’s fine. Look, let’s just say you can owe me one and leave it at that, okay?”

Robert stared.

“ _Okay_?” Aaron's tone wasn't leaving much room for argument.

Robert swallowed thickly. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Now bugger off so I can get on with it. Come back in a bit.”

“We’ll be here.”

****

True to his word, Robert returned to the garage in an hour to see Aaron leaning against the boot of the car with his legs crossed and the keys spinning around his finger.

“So, what’s the verdict?”

“All done. Although honestly mate, how you keep this thing running to begin with, I have no clue.”

Robert huffed a laugh. “Yeah, tell me about it.” He took the keys from Aaron, trying very hard not to shiver when their fingers brushed for a brief second.

“I uh, I fixed a couple of other small things, just while I was there. Put some air in your tyres, too.”

“You – you really didn’t have to.”

Aaron shrugged, leaning against the garage entrance with his arms folded. “S’no bother, I had time.”

“Well thank you, you’re honestly a lifesaver, I don’t even know how to – “

“Told you, you can owe me a favour, right?” Aaron quirked a half-smile at him.

“When you say owe you a favour, do you mean like a ‘help moving a couch’ favour or a ‘help hiding a dead body’ favour? I mean it’s fine either way, but just so I know.”

“Somewhere in-between?” 

Robert was about to reply when Seb suddenly went to grab the car keys with both hands, launching himself from his spot on Robert's hip so suddenly, he scrambled to stop him from going flying right out of his arms. “Oi Seb, a little warning next time, yeah?!” 

Seb shoved the keyring in his mouth, completely unapologetic look on his face, before turning his head towards Aaron. He took the keys out of his mouth and waved them wildly in his direction, shooting him a wide smile.  To Robert’s surprise, Aaron instantly grinned right back at Seb, reaching forward to give one of his feet a gentle squeeze. “You planning on driving, little man?” And God, if Robert had thought he had a nice face before, it was nothing compared to the way it looked now, dimples in his cheeks and crinkles around his eyes.

He laughed and secured Seb back into less precarious hold. “He would if he could, believe me.”

Aaron’s eyes shifted from Seb to Robert, smile still on his face. “He’d make a pretty cute carjacker."

They looked at each other for moment, before Robert cleared his throat and wrangled the keys out of Seb's grip. “Well, I should get him home before he tries to hot-wire something in your garage. We’ll let you get on. Thanks again, seriously.”

“S’no problem. See you later, Rob.” And with that, Aaron turned and headed back into the garage, tossing a wave over his shoulder. 

****

By the time they reached their place, Seb was more than ready for a nap, rubbing his head from side to side across Robert’s shoulder.

“I know, I know, there you go.” He eased him into the cot and turned on the mobile.

As he watched Seb drift off, dead to the world, his mind wandered back to Aaron. Aaron who apparently – as well as being the best-looking person Robert had clapped eyes on in a long time – really was the good guy Faith had said he was. A good guy who was sweet with Seb and had a blindingly nice smile…

Seb startled Robert out of his daydream when he suddenly snuffled and shifted in his sleep.

He sighed and hung his head. He didn’t even know if Aaron was into blokes and he _definitely_ wouldn’t be into a bloke with a kid. And besides… it wasn’t like dating was an option he could allow himself these days. It was like he’d spent the last few months treading water, some days barely keeping his head above the waves. He was doing okay for now but… he couldn’t risk letting anything mess it up. No distractions, not even gorgeous brunette ones. He knew what his priority was.

He reached into the cot and tucked Seb’s blanket a little higher over him. “We’re okay, aren’t we? You and me?” The fingers of Seb’s right hand closed slightly around his finger.

He had everything he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You will, perhaps, notice that my knowledge of cars is almost as vague as Robert's in this story. Oh well. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	5. Coffee and conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this chapter SO MUCH, and I'm actually quite pleased with it for once. I hope you all like it as much I do :)

“Morning Eric,” said Robert as he dropped a set of room keys in the office. Eric looked up from where he was squinting at the computer screen, a deep frown on his face.

“Ah, good morning, Robert.”

“Everything okay?”

“Hmm? Oh yes, just this blasted thing.” He gestured to the computer in irritation. “I pay Finn to deal with this online booking nonsense but I swear the boy is even worse at it than me.” 

Robert gave a sympathetic smile, though privately he wasn’t surprised. He liked working with Finn – they’d soon bonded over a love of Marvel and Death Note – but it hadn’t taken him long to realise that he wasn’t exactly the most competent of coworkers.

“Want me to take a look? I’m not bad with that sort of stuff.”

Eric hesitated for a moment before throwing his hands up in defeat and shifting aside to let Robert sit in front of the screen. It didn’t take him long to figure out how the booking system worked and solve the problem Eric was having.

“You ever think about using social media?” He asked, clicking the mouse to close the system. “For the B&B, I mean,” he added when Eric shot him a baffled look.

“What do you mean, social media?”

“Like Twitter, Facebook, that sort of thing. I know you have a website, but you can use those to advertise, share reviews, let people know about any upcoming events. Instagram might be good, you could put loads of nice photos of the B&B and the village on there, show off the place a bit?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have the first idea about that, it’s not for me. More my grandson’s area,” said Eric, waving a disinterested hand.

“I could do it, if you want?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I mean I’m not a professional or anything, but I could give it a go?"

“There’s barely enough room in this office to begin with, I think it’ll get a little crammed if you’re in here doing a load of social-whatsit.”

“I wouldn’t need the office, I can just do it on my laptop. And my phone does pretty good photos, so I could take a few and upload them. If you like?”

“And you think… this might attract new customers?”

“I don’t see why not; loads of businesses do it these days, especially in the tourism industry.” Robert saw the exact moment Eric’s initial dismissiveness suddenly fade, and he had to resist letting a triumphant grin spread across his face.

“Well you’re clearly the only one who can use this bloody booking system, so I have to assume you must have a knack for these things. I suppose it can’t hurt.”

****

As soon as his shift ended, Robert raced over to Laurel’s with an extra spring in his step.

“How was he?” He asked as he strapped Seb into his pushchair.

“We had a brief meltdown when he tried to chew Dotty’s hair, but aside from that he was as good as gold.” Laurel smiled, stroking a hand over Dotty’s ringlets.

“Mate,” he said, poking Seb’s chest. “What have we talked about? Sorry Laurel, he’s really into hair at the minute. And putting things in his mouth, come to that.”

“Oh don’t worry about it, I’ve been there, believe you me. You two enjoy the rest of your day.” 

Robert waved goodbye and set off in the direction of the cafe. Before they stepped inside, he crouched down in front of Seb, who was preoccupied with trying to stick his own foot in his mouth, clearly still desperate to find something to chew on.

“Hey, guess what?” He whispered. Seb looked up at him quizzically.

“Daddy only went and impressed the boss today.” He couldn’t resist leaning down and blowing a raspberry on his cheek, grinning at the loud shriek he got in return.

“That’s _right_ , everyone _does_ loves me in the end, don’t they? Knew I’d wear him down.” Revelling in a kind of smugness he hadn’t felt since his schooldays – or perhaps the last time he’d gotten one over on Andy – he pushed the buggy into the cafe and towards Bob, who smiled brightly at him.

“Afternoon to you both! Usual, I take it?”

Robert was about to nod, when an idea came to him.

“Actually… ”

****

Aaron stared at the takeaway cup Robert had just placed on the bench next to him, pausing from doing… whatever it was he’d been doing with the wrench in his hand. Robert had no clue.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a coffee. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just went with a flat white and hoped for the best.”

“Okay. Thanks? Why are you bringing me coffee?”

“Because… look, you helped me out when you didn’t have to and I know this definitely doesn’t count as paying you back, but I wanted to bring you something to say thanks. And your gran wasn’t wrong, I don’t really know many people around here. So I just thought, if you wanted to hang out sometime, that’d be… cool?” 

Aaron's eyes darted back and forth between him and the coffee cup. Just as Robert was contemplating running home and sellotaping his own mouth shut, he dropped the wrench on the ground before shouting over his shoulder, “Cain! I’m taking my break now.”

“Make sure you actually come back this time,” came a grunt from the office. Aaron rolled his eyes and strode out of the garage, grabbing his coffee cup on his way. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Oh you mean – right now?”

Aaron shrugged. “Why not?”

“Well it’s just, uh,” Robert gestured to the buggy. “I’d have to bring Seb with us.”

Aaron let out a snort. “Well I weren’t about to suggest you leave him here with Cain. Come on.” And with that, he set off. Robert didn’t have much choice but to follow.

****

“This is a good spot.” Robert stretched his legs out on the field by the cricket pavilion, Seb propped between them and happily scrunching his hands into the grass with fascination. 

“Yeah, it’s alright. Good place to get away from people.”

“People being…?”

“My nag of a mum, mostly.”

Before Robert could reply, Seb let out a shout and grabbed a stray leaf, holding it up towards him. “Is that for me?” Robert smiled and took it from him. “Ta.”

Spinning the leaf between his fingers, Robert looked up to see Aaron watching them closely over the rim of his cup.

“It’s just you and him, then? Sorry, you probably get sick of people asking.”

“It’s okay. And yep, just us.”

“So his mum’s not…?”

“Uh, no, we were never properly together, and she doesn’t get involved. She was in Ibiza, last I heard.”

“Can’t be easy.”

“It’s okay,” Robert glanced down at Seb, who was now trying his best to snatch the leaf back from him. “We’re alright on our own, aren’t we, trouble?” He used it to tickle him under his chin, chuckling when he squirmed against him.

“What about your family?” Aaron asked, looking apologetic when Robert tensed slightly. “Shit, tell me to shut up if you want.”

“No it’s fine, it’s just… complicated.”

Aaron gave a small nod. “I know a bit about complicated families.”

“I was living with them before I came here. But being stuck under the same roof as my dad and my brother, it wasn’t working.”

“You don’t get on?”

Robert let out a hollow laugh. “Yeah, you could say that. I was always kicking off with my brother about something or other. And my dad and I didn’t get on for years, could barely go a day with fighting – long before this one came along.” He smoothed a hand over Seb’s downy hair. 

“After that, everything just got harder. My little sister loved him and my stepmum helped me a bit, even though my dad told her not to but… things weren’t good. I was still pissed off all of the time and I didn’t want to be anymore. I want to be a good dad, make sure Seb’s always happy, always feels like he has a good home. I couldn’t do that when _my_ dad was looking at me like I was scum and at him like…” Robert shook his head. “He deserves better than that.”

He looked up to see Aaron staring at him with wide eyes and felt his cheeks flush as he realised just how much he’d spilled his guts to someone he barely knew well enough to call a friend. He cleared his throat. “So anyway, I uh, I waited until I turned eighteen. Then when everyone was out of the house one day, I packed up my car and moved us out. And we ended up here.”

Aaron still didn’t say anything. Robert shifted awkwardly and shrugged a shoulder. “No idea if I’m getting it right or – ”

“I think you are,” Aaron cut him off.

Robert blinked in surprise. “Yeah?” 

Aaron nodded.

“Thanks.” He smiled slowly, bashful in a way that he’d rarely been since he was a kid. They sipped their drinks for a minute, the peaceful quiet only broken by Seb’s babbling.

“So,” Robert eventually said, casting around for a lighter topic. “Is there much to do around here?”

Aaron snorted.

“What?”

“Well you just missed the Easter egg hunt back in April, that was a three-day ordeal.”

“Sounds intense.”

“You’ve got no idea. But there’s plenty coming up,” Aaron began listing things, counting them off on his fingers. “Sheep races, historical reenactments, hay bale maze, the pantomime, classic film festivals – which is just someone setting up a shitty projector in the hall – , murder mystery nights, summer _and_ winter solstice, baking competitions, vegetable-growing competitions, snowman-building competitions… I can’t remember the rest of the competitions but there’s definitely more. Like, infinite amounts.”

Robert blinked, slightly taken aback. “Wow. Most places just do Christmas and Bonfire Night.”

“Honestly I’m surprised Eric hasn’t roped you into helping out with something already.”

“Eric?”

“Yeah, he’s the one who puts on most of this stuff, along with Bob. They have these daft meetings in the village hall every month, where all people do is moan about whoever’s pissed them off recently, and come up with more stupid events. Eric has a little gavel and everything, it’s a nightmare.”

Robert couldn’t help laughing at Aaron’s passionate indignation. “Why do you go to them, then? If they’re that bad?”

“My mum makes me; most of these things end up with everyone coming to our pub at the end, so she says we need to be involved or whatever.” Aaron rolled his eyes, before fixing Robert with a smirk.

“But hey, it’s the 4th July soon, you can get involved yourself.”

“4th – but we’re not even American!”

“Don’t matter. I think there must have been some American family living in the village for about five minutes at one point, so that’s enough of an excuse to put on a show. Better get your stars and stripes ready or Eric’ll be having words with you. Or my gran, she loves that one.”

“I honestly can’t tell if you’re having me on or not…”

Aaron huffed a laugh and took a swig of his coffee. “Welcome to Emmerdale, mate.”

****

The two sat and chatted for what felt like forever, Robert cackling as Aaron told him about some of the ridiculous things that had happened in the village over the years; from the time Eric got into an actual fistfight with Doug over judging prize pumpkins, to the time a married couple called Jimmy and Nicola got caught shagging on a helter skelter during last summer’s funfair. 

By the time they’d finished their coffee, he could hardly believe he’d ever seen Aaron as the grumpy person Faith had described. Not when he was making Robert laugh like that, or letting a delighted Seb crawl all over him and pat the stubble on his jaw without batting an eye. 

Aaron sighed as he helped Seb stand in his lap, barely wincing as he stamped tiny feet all over his thighs. “Should probably get back to the garage before Cain comes and drags me there.”

“Yeah alright,” said Robert, though he was secretly gutted it had to come to an end. “His lordship here is due a feed soon anyway.”

They slowly wandered back into the village, binning their empty cups along the way.

“Well, cheers for coffee break,” said Aaron as they approached the garage. “Wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

“Yeah?”

“Well we can’t have you just hanging out with my gran all the time.”

“Oi, Faith’s not that bad. She lets me have a helping of whatever she’s made for tea if Seb and I watch Grantchester with her.”

Aaron shook his head.“That is tragic, mate.”

Robert opened his mouth to reply when an angry shout boomed from inside the garage. “Aaron! I said you could have a break, not go on a bloomin’ jolly. Get your backside in here!”

Aaron winced. “I better – ”

“Yeah, I’ll let you go. See you later.” Robert was about to leave when Aaron suddenly dug his phone out of his pocket and shoved it into Robert’s hands. “Here, put your number in. Be an easier way of meeting up than you randomly turning up at my work, otherwise you might have to have coffee with Cain next time.”

“Fair point.” Robert keyed in his number and passed the phone back. 

Aaron pocketed it again. “Ta. I’ll text you.” He turned and made his way to the garage, giving his customary wave over his shoulder.

****

That evening, Robert sat on his bed and stared at the phone he was holding in one hand, the other running back and forth through his hair, and stared vaguely at his own reflection in the blank screen. His good mood from earlier in the day was now overshadowed by feelings of nervousness. He glanced over at Seb, who lay on the bed next to him in his pyjamas, rosy-cheeked after his bath.

“It’s probably time, isn’t it?” Seb paused and blinked at him for a moment, before going back to wringing the neck of the stuffed giraffe he'd been cuddling quite aggressively.

It hadn’t occurred to Robert until they’d gotten home that getting a text from Aaron would mean having to turn his phone on and take it off aeroplane mode. Which meant also getting any other texts that had been sent since he’d disappeared from the farm. He’d put it off for so long now, the prospect of actually doing it seemed a lot more daunting than it had a few weeks ago.

On the verge of becoming annoyed with himself, he took a deep breath and switched the phone on. After what seemed like forever, the signal kicked in, and for a moment... nothing. Just as he was about to check the phone was working, the screen suddenly lit up with missed calls. Dozens from Dad, a few from Diane, one from Andy. A couple from the farm’s landline – Victoria perhaps? Jack wouldn’t allow her a phone of her own, despite her protests that she was the only person in her class without one.

Before Robert had the chance to look at when the calls were made, text messages began popping up, his phone dinging over and over again as they appeared faster than he could read them. His eyes quickly scanned quickly over a few.

Jack: _Robert, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Get back here right now._

Andy: _Is this note meant to be some kind of stupid joke?_

Jack: _If this is your way of trying to get attention, it’s not going to work. No one’s going to come looking for you._

_Diane: Hi pet, can you answer your phone please? We need to know where you’ve gone._

Andy: _Who’s meant to look after the house when we’re working now? You're such a selfish prick._

Diane: _Victoria says to tell you she’s worried about you. I am too, so just let me know if you and Seb are okay. Please stop upsetting your father like this, don’t be childish._

Jack: _You have a responsibility to this family. You know that. You don’t just get to come and go whenever you feel like it._

Andy: _At least I don’t have to put up with your kid keeping us up all hours anymore._

Robert scrolled through the repetitive messages faster and faster, eyes burning and his finger flying over the screen, until he landed on the final one from his dad, sent a few days ago.

_Don’t bother coming back, Robert._

He stared at the words until they began to swim in front of him, stomach churning and breathing shaky, before abruptly tossing the phone across the floor. Seb startled at the loud noise and began to wail, tossing his giraffe down next to him. Wincing, Robert quickly picked him up and held him close. “Sorry mate, did I give you a fright? Daddy can be a right idiot sometimes, can’t he?” He walked them around the room, rubbing Seb’s back reassuringly until his tears tailed off to tiny whines and the occasional hiccup.

Just as he was about to try settling him for the night, the phone pinged once more from its place on the floor. With a little more trepidation than he wanted to admit, he reached down and picked it up, flipping it over so he could see the screen. It was an unknown number.

He swiped open the message and was surprised to see a photo of some sort of insanely busy organisational chart of village activities, hanging on a wall in what looked like the Woolpack. There was a caption underneath that read: _prepare yourself sugden._

Before Robert could get a good look at the picture, another message popped up below it.

_oh it’s Aaron btw. tell seb i said hi_

Robert shuffled the phone in his grip until he could type one-handed: _I gathered that thanks, should've known you text like a 12-year-old. Cheers for the warning._

He turned Seb in his arms and held him closely against his chest, freshly-washed hair tickling his nose. He took a daft selfie of them, firing it off to Aaron. _Hi back._

He exited the chat, tapping the screen until the thread of messages from Jack appeared again. 

_Don’t bother coming back, Robert._

He rolled his eyes and turned the phone off. 

“Wouldn’t fucking dream of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Incase there was *any* doubt about who the villains of the piece are in this story...
> 
> Also, for any non-Gilmore Girls fans, the nonstop events/activities and village hall meetings is a big feature of Stars Hollow. It's one of my favourite things about the show, so I couldn't resist applying it to Emmerdale.


	6. Unexpected revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I've got you here, I just wanted to give a quick heads up about the development of Aaron and Robert’s relationship in this series. When I say it’s a slow burn, I really do mean a slow burn. Bear in mind Luke/Lorelai (the GG couple I’m loosely basing them on) didn’t actually get together until almost 20 YEARS after they met, due to a serious denial of feelings/significant others getting in the way. Not that I’m planning on it taking anywhere NEAR that long in my version of the story – I’m not insane – but it will take a little while for the boys to get their act together. But I have it all planned out, and I hope you think that it’s still worth sticking around for, lovely readers, because you’re the ones who inspire me to keep going with this. <3
> 
> Another heads up, this chapter has some discussion of Aaron's past and Gordon.

“Okay, so when you said ‘come on a walk with me’,” Aaron huffed and hoisted Seb higher on his hip, Clyde happily trotting along beside him. “What you actually meant was, ‘come and carry my baby for me so I can pretend to be an influencer’.”

“I’m not being an _influencer_ – why do you even know that word – I told you, it’s for work,” said Robert, leaning back to get a better shot of the stream in front of them. “Besides, that wasn’t the only reason I asked you.” He shot Aaron a grin. “I need you to show me the best spots for taking photos.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Hey, it’s only been a few weeks and _The Grange_ already has nearly 100 followers on Twitter – ”

“Yeah, most of those are people who live here. You made _me_ follow it.”

“Not the point, numbers are numbers. And if I get some good pictures on this – ” he brandished his phone at Aaron. “ – I bet I can do even better with Instagram. Now come _on_ , I don’t wanna lose this light.” He took off in search of his next target, Clyde following closely on his heels, leaving Aaron and Seb trailing after them.

“Your dad,” he whispered conspiratorially in Seb’s ear, causing him to giggle and squirm in his arms. “Is a pretentious prat.” Seb gurgled back in what sounded a lot like agreement.

“I heard that!”

****

They returned to the village as the sun began to set, parking themselves on a table outside the pub. Aaron nipped inside and grabbed them a couple of pints and some water for Clyde, who was curled up under the table, apparently all walked out.

“So?” Aaron took a long swig of his beer and nudged Robert’s phone on the table. “Satisfied?”

“Think so,” said Robert, readjusting Seb’s little sunhat and double-checking that the suncream had done its job. “If this works and bookings go up, I might eventually impress Eric and not have to spend quite so much time cleaning toilets for a living.”

“S’good to have goals. You never know, you might get us on Countryfile someday.” Aaron clinked his glass against Robert’s and they sat in companionable silence. Until Faith and Aaron’s mum came storming out of the pub, having what sounded like a very intense argument about bunting, balloons and… glitter cannons?

“What’s up with them?” asked Robert.

“Just my cousin Debbie's birthday tomorrow, they’re putting on a Dingle Do. You’d think they were plannin’ a royal wedding from the way they’re carrying on,” Aaron said, rolling his eyes. 

“You should come, though, if you’re not busy,” he added. “I mean it’ll be mad – these things always are – but there’ll be free food and drink, and Moira’s bringing all her lot, so Adam’s coming, too. Plus all the kids’ll be there so you can bring Seb?”

Robert looked at Seb. “You up for it?” He shot him a gummy smile and slammed his palm on the table. “Guess we’re in.”

****

The Dingles were _loud_. It wasn’t like Robert already know this – he’d met a few of them since he’d moved into the village – but this was a whole other level. He made his way through the chaos, dodging various Dingles and Barton brothers (how many of those _were_ there, anyway) until he bumped into Faith, who gasped in delight as soon as she clapped eyes on him.

“Robert!” She lurched forward, clutching his shoulder with one hand and a glass of wine in the other. “Aaron said he’d invited you! Come on, let’s get you a drink.” She dragged him over to the bar, where an weary-looking Eric was perched with a whiskey. Upon seeing Robert, he silently offered him one.

“Oh no, I’m good – ” 

“You’ll need it. Trust me.” He pushed the glass across the bar into Robert’s hand.

“If you like, you can put Seb with the other kiddos for a bit, Robert,” said Faith, pointing behind him. “We’ve got a little play area for them!”

Robert looked at the group of feral-looking children of various ages in one corner of the pub, climbing all over the furniture. And each other.

“I think I’ll just keep him with me, thanks.” He discreetly nudged the whiskey away from himself – and Seb’s prying fingers.

“I’m so glad you decided to come – especially since you skipped out on our Independence Day bash last week,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Sorry again.” He schooled his face into what he hoped was an apologetic expression. “Seb’s not keen on the sound of fireworks. All the banging, y’know?” This was a blatant lie; Seb’s entirely unbothered reaction to New Year’s Eve when he wasn't even two months old was proof of that. But Robert had suffered the shift from hell, from cleaning filthy rooms (people were disgusting) to dealing with particularly shitty guests. Joining in with a group of people drinking cheap beer and pratting around with American flags for no reason had literally been the last thing he’d wanted to do.

“We watched from the window, though,” he added, which was enough to get Faith smiling at him warmly again.

“Ah, of course, mustn’t frighten the little one. You boys have a good time, now.” She crooked a finger under Seb’s chin and gave him a tickle, before dragging Eric off to the makeshift dance floor. 

“Tsk, using your own kid to get out of community spirit?” Robert spun around to see Aaron smirking at him from behind the bar, Adam leaning on his shoulder with a grin. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Hey, there’s gotta be some perks to the whole single dad gig, right?”

Adam laughed heartily. “Fair point, mate.” He plonked a pint down in front of Robert. “Get that down you, it’s the only way to survive these things.”

Despite his initial reservations, Robert had decided that Adam wasn’t actually all that bad, for a farmhand. Unlike Andy, he didn’t seem to mind working on his family’s farm, but would much rather spend his time having a laugh in the village or going into town. Which meant he was capable of talking about something other than cows and tractors. Which meant he was a lot more fun than Robert’s stupid brother.

They sat with their pints, munching down packets of crisps as they watched the party unfold until it became more and more like a riot. Robert had never seen so many people consume so much alcohol so quickly.  Aaron groaned when he spotted Charity and Belle drag out what looked like a well-loved karaoke machine. “Christ, there’s no stopping them now,” he grumbled over the loud cheers. “I’d say we can go up to my room but my mum will only drag us down again.”

“We could go to mine?” Robert offered. “Grab us a couple of cans and we can hide out there?”

“Nice one!” Adam clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get out of here before the ABBA tunes start, eh?”

****

They managed to slip out unnoticed and hurried to the B&B, giggling like they were kids skiving off school as they tumbled through Robert’s door.

“Uh, sorry there’s nowhere to sit,” he said, feeling slightly on edge as it suddenly occurred to him that this was the first time anyone other than Faith or Eric had seen where his tiny home. He settled Seb on his playmat, before grabbing the pillows from his bed and tossing them to the floor. “You can sit on these if you want? I know it’s a bit… bare in here.”

“No worries, mate, I’m easy,” said Adam, plonking himself down and cracking open a can.

“Eric did give me some old chairs, they’re outside.” Robert pointed to where two battered-looking wooden chairs were propped against the window. “But I wouldn’t risk it unless you fancy a splinter in your arse. They need sanding down and everything, haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“Rob, seriously, it’s fine. It looks loads better than it used to,” Aaron said, settling himself against a wall and stretching his legs out across one of the rugs. “My gran showed me this place once, it used to be a right dump compared to how you’ve got it now.”

Adam snorted into his drink. “Compared to your room, mate, this is like Buckingham Palace – oi, watch my drink!” He dodged the cushion Aaron chucked at his head.

The three of them fell into easy conversation, laughing over the antics at the party and the look on Aaron’s face when his mum had tried to get him to dance with her.

“Like I’d _ever_ go anywhere near a dance floor – especially in front of that lot. It’s like she doesn’t even know me.”

“Ah come on, she was just making sure you were having a good time,” said Adam, kicking Aaron's foot with his own.  Robert chuckled. From the little he’d seen of Chas, she did seem to be a slightly overprotective parent, always hovering around Aaron and checking in to see if he was alright.

“Yeah, I’d rather she didn’t.”

“Y’know what she’s like, she loves fussin’ over you.”

Aaron rolled his eyes and shrugged. “S’ppose.”

“I guess you can’t blame her, your gran said your dad wasn’t the greatest,” Robert said distractedly, passing Seb the teddy he’d been reaching for. He looked up to see Aaron staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. 

“She told you?” His voice had the slightest wobble to it. He looked caught off guard and… angry, almost? Robert’s face flushed as he realised he’d just blurted out something that was absolutely none of his business.

“What? I – no just… she just said that you only came here a couple of years ago and – and that your dad was… basically a waste of space. Or – or something along those lines, I don’t really remember,” he stammered. Oh God, why was Aaron looking at him like that? “That’s all, I swear.”

Aaron let out a slow breath and ran a hand through his curly hair, slumping down against the wall. Robert looked helplessly at Adam, who had fallen silent, uncharacteristically serious all of a sudden. The air in the room was thick with tension, the previous good mood having vanished entirely.

“I guess I should just tell you myself, you’ll only hear it from the village gossips otherwise. M'surprised you haven’t already, if I’m honest,” he said, sounding resigned. 

“Aaron, you don’t have to… ” Adam said gently, his usual easy smile absent from his face. 

"You don't have to tell me anything," Robert nodded in agreement, wishing he'd never opened his mouth. The _last_ thing he wanted was for Aaron to feel cornered into admitting something he'd rather keep to himself.

“No, I’d rather get it over with.” Aaron glanced at him for a brief moment before dropping his gaze firmly to the floor, fingers fiddling with the lid of the can in his hands. “I used to live with my dad, away from here. When I was a kid he – he hurt me, in… in _that_ way.” It took a moment, but Robert soon understood his meaning. His blood ran cold and he felt something in his stomach drop with a painful swoop.

“My stepmum caught on in the end,” Aaron pressed on. “When I was sixteen, she left him and brought me to Emmerdale, to my mum. I ended up telling her everything, then the police. He denied it, said I was making it up but – there was a trial, they found him guilty. He’s in prison now and I haven’t seen him since. That’s it.” He finally looked up at Robert, blinking rapidly. 

“I – Aaron, I’m so sorry – ”

“Don't be,” Aaron spoke over him, voice stronger than before. “It's fine – I’m fine. There's no more to say about it,” he said tightly, looking defensive and determined and braver than Robert could ever imagine being. The silence that followed hung in the air, thick and heavy.

“Why don’t we just move on, eh?” Adam suggested quietly but firmly, with the protective air of someone who knew just how much their friend had been through, and how much they were capable of sharing about it. He  smiled when Seb suddenly came crawling over and pulling at his jeans. “Oh hey, look at you, mate! Didn’t know you were crawling already.”

Robert swallowed thickly, still feeling shaken to his core. “Yeah… no stopping him now, the menace.” He managed to muster a weak smile.

Apparently bored with Adam, Seb turned and made Aaron his next target, shuffling towards him and making himself at home in his lap. His face suddenly gave a familiar twitch and before Robert could shout out a warning, he sneezed all over Aaron’s hoodie.

“Shit, sorry!” Robert scrambled to grab some tissues, but Aaron just let out a small laugh and wiped Seb’s face with his sleeve. “It’s fine, this needed to go in the wash anyway.”

And just like that, the tension was broken a little. They continued drinking their beers and the conversation resumed – mainly thanks to Adam’s ability to natter on about literally anything under the sun. Aaron seemed more or less recovered from what had happened, though Robert noticed him shooting him furtive glances over the top of Seb’s head now and then, like he was looking for something. Like he was waiting for Robert to… he didn’t even know. 

Eventually, Adam stretched and clambered to his feet. “Well lads, this has been fun, but I’d better get back to the pub. Probably gonna have to carry at least one of my brothers home.” 

Aaron grinned and stood up, too. “It’ll probably be Holly, the rate she was going.”

“Nah, she can hold her drink better than all of us combined.” Adam punched Robert’s arm and ruffled Seb’s hair. “Cheers for the escape, Rob, see you around.” He gave a cheerful wave and headed out the door.

Aaron began to follow, but suddenly stopped in the doorway and turned back to face Robert. “You busy tomorrow?”

“Er, early shift in the morning but then I’m free after one?”

Aaron tapped the door frame, hesitant in a way Robert hadn’t seen him before. “Fancy a hand getting those chairs sorted?” He gestured to the wooden chairs outside.

“Yeah, that… that’d be great, thanks.” 

“Cool, I think there’s some stuff we can use in the pub, I’ll bring it over.”

“I guess that’ll be another favour I owe you,” said Robert, smiling when Aaron huffed a laugh and shook his head.

“Guess so. See tomorrow, then."

"See you tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, I'm also over on tumblr as 'softlass27', if any of you want to pop by and say hi :)


	7. The art of coming out

“Come on, mate, let’s dance!” Robert slid across the floor in his socks, bouncing an increasingly hyper Seb in his arms, music blaring from his laptop. “That’s it,” he laughed when Seb’s arms flailed in the air madly, narrowly avoiding punching him in the nose.

He began to do a fast spin, the kind that always made Seb scream with delight, but stopped in his tracks as soon as he turned towards the front door – which was wide open. There stood Aaron, eyebrows raised and a fist pressed to his mouth.

“I did knock.”

“Right. Course you did.” Robert stood stock-still for a moment before scrambling to pause the music. “He really needs to take a nap soon, I was trying to tire him out. Otherwise he’ll be screaming bloody murder right when bedtime hits.”

Aaron shrugged and stepped into the room. “Okay, but mate, Taylor Swift? Really?”

“Don’t judge, nothing wrong with a bit of Taylor.”

“Yeah, I’m definitely judging.”

“Whatever, Seb likes it.”

“Mmm sure, _Seb_ likes it.” Aaron reached over and booped Seb’s nose, seemingly unbothered when Seb grabbed his finger and tugged it in his mouth. “Stick with me, little man, I’ll make sure you get to listen to some proper stuff.”

“Ugh, a music snob, you’re the worst.”

Aaron rolled his eyes, before wrenching his hand out of Seb's grasp to root around in the paper bag he was carrying before pulling out a takeaway cup. “Well, this music snob just brought you a coffee.”

“… I take it back, you’re the best.”

“S’what I thought. I brought some stuff for the chairs, it’s outside.”

“Brilliant. Shall we?”

They set up on the grass outside Robert’s place, Seb soon sleeping soundly in his pushchair, having well and truly crashed after their little dance party.

“Where did Eric even find these things, anyway?” Aaron asked as he laid everything on sheets. “They look like they’ll fall apart as soon as you sit on them.”

“Attic, apparently.”

“Generous as ever. Well, we can fix them up, I brought tools an’ that.”

“Ta.”

They tackled a chair each, beginning to sand down the rough wood.

“You alright, then?” Robert asked after a few minutes. Aaron nodded and shot him a smile, albeit an unconvincing one. He tugged the sleeves of his top over his hands, before looking at Robert cautiously. “M’sorry about yesterday. Making things weird.”

“You didn’t make things weird,” said Robert quickly – so quickly it made Aaron snort slightly and raise an eyebrow at him. 

He grinned sheepishly.  “Okay, maybe a little, but you don’t have to be _sorry_ about it, Aaron.”

“I _am_ fine, y’know,” he said quietly. “Things were pretty messed up for a while; I was angry and I still have – bad days. But I’m better now, I got through it.”

“How’d you manage that?”

“They sent me to counselling, which was alright. I mean, I hated it, but it made a difference. I had my family, and Adam, even Clyde. And then I had a boyfriend for a while, made me feel more normal – for a while, anyway. People didn’t give on me, and I chilled out. A bit.”

Robert could only nod, his mind zeroing in that new piece of information. _Boyfriend, he had a boyfriend_.

“Just don’t – don’t treat me different now, okay?” Aaron’s expression was guarded, but Robert could see the pleading look in his eyes. It was the same look he’d repeatedly given Robert the day before.

“Okay."

They continued to work in silence, until Robert couldn’t stop himself from asking, “So… you had a boyfriend?” _Subtle as a brick, Rob._

Aaron paused. “Yeah. I’m gay. Got a problem with that?” Robert winced at his tone. No sooner had his defences come down than Robert’s big mouth was making them fly up again.

“No, of course not!”

“Okay, good.” He still didn’t look thrilled, though. _Shit._

Robert cleared his throat. “It’d make me a bit of a hypocrite if I did. Have a problem, that is.”

“Eh? But…” Aaron’s eyes drifted to Seb, his face twisting in confusion.

“I’m bi.”

“Oh. Oh, right! Sorry, that’s – I didn’t think – ”

“We do exist, y’know,” said Robert, quirking an amused eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, course I do. Charity’s bisexual. Don’t think I’ve met a bi bloke before, though. Not – not that I know of, I mean I probably have, I – oh shut up!” he stammered, glaring when Robert started laughing at how red his face was turning.

“It’s okay, don’t hurt yourself,” he said, taking pity on him. Aaron chucked a scrunched up wad of sandpaper at his head.

“So,” Robert asked as he started coating the chair with primer. “Have you been out long?”

“‘Bout a year or so? I was pretty freaked out at first, when everyone found out. But when I realised my family were all fine with it, it was okay. And Jackson – my boyfriend – had already been through it so, yeah… ” he trailed off.

“But you’re not together now? You and Jackson?”

“Nope.”

“What happened? Shit, ignore that if you want.”

“Nah, it’s fine. He uh, he left. We got together not long after the trial and I was still a mess after everything that had happened. I was trying, seein’ my counsellor and all that but…” Aaron shrugged. “He left the village not long before you came here, actually. Guess he had enough in the end, said it was too much, all my issues, y’know?”

“I’m sorry,” said Robert, because what else could he say? What he _wanted_ to say was, _your ex-boyfriend sounds like a fucking idiot_ , but he wasn’t sure how well that would go down.

“Doesn’t matter. I probably wasn’t ready do go out with someone properly. Still don’t know if I am, if I’m honest.”

Robert didn’t know why the comment stung so much. It wasn’t like he was in a position to be dating anyone, either.

Aaron fiddled with the paintbrush in his hands for a moment. “Anyway, what about you? You been out long?”

“My dad found out when I was 15 – accidentally, though.”

“Did he… not take it well?”

Robert’s mind flashed to the fury on Jack’s face, the sharp pain of the leather belt lashing into his skin. “Not particularly.”

“Sorry.”

“S’okay,” he shrugged. It was now, mostly. “After that I kept it a secret for a few years, probably still would be if Seb hadn’t come along. But when he did I just… didn’t really give a shit anymore? I wouldn’t want him to feel like he had to hide something like that from me, so it seemed stupid to try and hide it myself.”

“Your dad sounds like a right tosser, if I'm honest," Aaron said matter-of-factly. A surprised laugh bubbled out of Robert's chest.

“Yeah, my approach to parenting is generally just... when in doubt, think ‘what would Jack Sugden do?’ And then do the opposite. It’s been working for me so far.” 

"You should write a book – _How to Not Fuck Up Like Your Dad Did: a Handy Guide_ by Robert Sugden. You'd make a mint.”

"You wanna write the foreword?”

"Go on, then," Aaron said with a deadpan expression, before they both cracked up. Part of Robert couldn't believe they were laughing at something so grim, but here they were, wheezing into their coffees until he had to frantically shush them before they woke up Seb.

Aaron wiped his eyes. "Shit, that's dark."

"You started it."

“That's fair.” He held his hands up, still grinning. "Well, now that you're out, if you ever need a wingman or summat, there’s a gay bar in town – Bar West – we can go to. It’s not a big club or anything, but it’s decent.”

“Pfft, don’t think I’m gonna be pulling anyone for awhile, not with the gremlin over there,” said Robert, pointing to Seb. “I appreciate the offer, though.”

“I’m sure my gran would babysit for you, if you wanted to go out.”

“Nah, it’s… it’s better if I don’t. Most people our age don’t want to hang out with someone who has a baby, never mind date them.”

“What people?”

“Well, when my friends from before found out I was suddenly a dad, they all disappeared pretty sharpish.”

“Sounds like you need better friends, mate."

“Why, you offering, Dingle?” Robert grinned when Aaron rolled his eyes. “Are we _friends_ now?”

“Piss off.”

****

They finished fixing up the chairs, rickety old wood now a smooth, dark brown.

“Not bad, those,” Aaron said as he started packing everything up.

“Yeah, thanks again. I was gonna heat up some leftover pizza, if you want some? I’d say we’ve earned it.”

Aaron straightened up and gave a put-upon sigh. “Ugh, I’d love to, I’m starving. But I promised my mum I’d do a shift at the pub soon. Gonna have to settle for a packet of crisps.”

“Barman, mechanic, furniture-fixer-upper… you wanna leave some skills for the rest of us?”

“Well, I did have my eye on a job cleaning the loos at the B&B, but _someone_ beat me to it.”

“Oi, those toilets have been spotless since I started. S’what got me employee of the month n’all.”

“That’s not a thing.”

“It could be a thing. And I’d win it every time.” 

Aaron blinked at him, before hoisting the bags over his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m leaving now. Have to go serve drinks to stupid customers.”

“They can’t be as stupid as the customers at the garage? It’s not hard to order a pint.”

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?”

As Aaron made his way home, Robert gently woke an increasingly fidgety Seb and carried him inside. “Come on, mister, that’s enough sleep for now. If you cry again tonight, daddy’s gonna start crying, too, and then where will we be?” 

He checked his phone where he'd left it on the counter, pausing when he saw several missed calls and a single text from an unknown number. He swiped the message and felt his breath catch in his throat as as read the words on the screen.

_Hi Robert, it’s Victoria. Dad finally let me have a mobile!! Please, please call me back. I miss you x_

The overwhelming wave of homesickness – not for the farm but for his little sister – hit him so hard that he felt physically sick for a moment. He stood frozen, staring down at the call button in silence.  In the end, it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds before he was sharply tapping the screen and bringing the phone to his ear. It took a few agonising rings, before there was a click and a frantic voice at the other end.

“ _Robert?_ ”

He swallowed thickly. “Hi, Vic. 

“Rob, where are you? Why did you leave?”

“Vic, I – ”

“You didn’t even say goodbye!” He winced at the hurt in Victoria’s shrill voice.

“I know, I’m sorry, Vic, I just… Look, did you read my letter? The one I put on your bed?”

“Yeah, I found it.”

“Then you know I didn’t want to leave you. But I couldn’t stay. I’m so sorry.”

There was a long pause; the only sound he could hear was her shaky breathing down the line.

“I miss you, both of you,” she said, quieter now.

“I miss you, too.”

“Are you and Seb okay?”

“We’re fine, I promise you. I’ve got a job and a place for us to live.”

“What job? Were did you go?”

He hesitated. “We’re not far away.”

“Close enough for me to come see you?”

“I… I’m not sure that’s a good idea. If Dad – ”

“Dad doesn’t have to know, I could come on my own.”

“What, by yourself?”

“I know how to get on a bus, Rob!” she cried with all the indignation of a kid on the cusp of becoming a teenager.

“I know you do,” he grinned.

“So?”

“I don’t know, I don’t want you getting into trouble… ”

“Can you at least send me a picture of Seb? I won’t let anyone see it, I promise. He must be so much bigger by now.” 

Robert glanced down at Seb on the bed, kicking his legs against Robert's thigh and gurgling happily to himself. He did look different. Tiny teeth coming through and his head covered in dark blond curls instead of the downy fuzz he’d had when they’d first arrived. Some days it felt like he changed every time Robert so much as blinked.

“He is. Crawling now, too.”

She laughed. “Wow, good luck with that.”

“Course I’ll send you a photo. And I’ve got a picture of you up here, so he can still see his favourite auntie every day.” His gaze fell on the small collection of photos he’d stuck on the wall above Seb’s crib, of Victoria, of Sarah, of himself and Seb together.

“Well, I’m trying to get Diane to take me to get my hair dyed. I’ll have to send you an updated photo when I finally wear her down.”

“How is Diane?”

“She’s okay, fussy as ever. Keeps taking me shopping for random stuff for when I start secondary school in September, but it beats working with Dad and Andy, so I'm not complaining. She’s worried about you, though.”

Robert bit his lip, guilt churning uncomfortably in his stomach. “You can’t say anything to her. She’ll only tell Dad and I don’t want that.”

“… Rob, I’m sure Dad would – ”

“ _No_ , I’m serious, Vic. Please.”

“Okay, I won’t,” she sighed.

“Thank you. Right, tell me what you’ve been up to, then.”

Victoria launched into her customary rambles about her latest hobbies, who she was and wasn’t friends with anymore, the newest animals on the farm, the art prize she’d won last month at school, her latest baking attempts, how she was spending her summer holidays. Once she got going, there was no one in Yorkshire who could talk as much as his baby sister.

Robert nodded and hmm’ed in the right places, asking questions and generally just enjoying her nonsensical chatter. 

“So then I told Stacey that – oh,” she cut herself off suddenly. 

“What, you okay?”

“Yeah, um,” her voice dropped to a whisper. “Dad and Andy have just come in, they’re downstairs.”

Right. Of course they had.

“Guess that’s my cue, then,” he whispered back without quite knowing why. It wasn’t like they could hear him.

“I can call you again, though, right?” 

“You can call me anytime.”

“And send me a photo, yeah?” Her voice was barely audible now. He wondered if Jack was coming up the stairs.

“I will. Promise.”

“Bye.” She’d hung up before he had a chance to reply.

He sighed, before tapping on the camera and picking up Seb.

“Let’s say hi to Auntie Victoria.” He gently dug his fingers into Seb’s tummy until he got a giggle and sent her a photo, along with a couple of kisses. 

“Right, come on, chuckles, let’s have some food. If I don’t eat this pizza soon, I might try and eat _you_ instead."  No sooner had he turned on the oven than his phone pinged with Victoria’s reply.

_Omg I can’t believe how BIG he is! He properly looks like you now._ Followed by a string of at least six heart eye emojis. Then another message.

_I’ve really missed talking to you._

He bit his lip, stroking his thumb over the message. A few taps later, links to the B&B’s Twitter and Instagram pages had been sent to her phone with a whoosh.

_We’re here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Seb were dancing to Shake It Off. He's a Swiftie, you can't change my mind.


	8. An unwanted reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, sorry this update took so long, it took me AGES to get it to a stage where I was happy with it. But if helps, this is the longest chapter so far, so that's something :)

“So to conclude, teams for Saturday’s pub quiz, along with your team name, _must_ be confirmed by Friday at the latest. And I mean _proper_ team names, not ridiculous innuendos like last time,” From his spot on the podium, Eric scowled at Tracy, who smirked and held her hands up innocently.“Remember, all proceeds go towards refurbishment of the playground, so dig deep, people.”

“And since Bob is away and _someone_ refused to step in,” he narrowed his eyes at an unbothered-looking Aaron. “We still need a volunteer to be the quiz master.” 

Robert nudged Aaron as best he could without disturbing Seb, who was fast asleep on his shoulder, thumb stuffed in his mouth. “Aw, you turned them down?”

“They were gonna make me wear Bob’s gold quizzing jacket,” Aaron said with a shudder. “No chance.”

They were sat in the village meeting, listening to the latest concerns, squabbles and announcements. The only moment of excitement had been when Rishi kicked off over a dessert-related disagreement with Marlon. He’d looked ready to actually storm out of the hall, but an exasperated-looking Manpreet had yanked him sharply back into his seat

“And now, for our final order of business –”

“Thank God for that,” Aaron muttered out of the side of his mouth.

“We still have a lot of preparation to do for next week’s August Bank Holiday _slash_ Last Day of Summer Extravaganza – ”

“Not sure that’s gonna fit on a poster,” Robert whispered back.

“As you all know, it’s taking place next to the cricket field and this year’s theme is flamingos – ”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Harriet and Laurel have kindly offered to create some excellent flamingo-themed decorations for the event, I’m sure any help would be greatly appreciated. We’re having sand brought in for the castle-building contest, along with stalls and games, plenty of tropical food and drink, and then we’ll finish off with a bonfire at sunset, provided as always by Zak and Sam. Now, we want a big turnout, so tell your friends, tell your family, spread the word. Any questions?”

Silence filled the village hall.

“Very well. Speaking of spreading the word, one final reminder; if you’re not already following The Grange on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, please do so. If you’re having trouble finding the… ” He checked his notecards. “the _handle_ , just ask Robert and he can… send you the link?” He shot a questioning look towards Robert, who nodded and gave him a thumbs up. “Any questions on that?”

Once again, nothing but silence. Robert could hear Leyla snoring faintly in the corner.

Eric sighed and banged his gavel. “Meeting adjourned.” 

“Well, that was an hour I’ll never get back,” Adam grumbled once they were outside. “I only went ‘cause my mum said he’d be giving an update on the next farmer’s market and he didn’t even mention it,” he scowled, before brightening up. “So, lads! We on for this pub quiz or what?”

“I’ll check if Mum needs me behind the bar. If not, then you’re on.”

“Nice one. Rob, you in?”

“I don’t have anyone to watch Seb.”

“Bring him, he can be our mascot! Come on,” Adam whined. “Between us I bet we can crush the other teams.”

“Okay, fine. Let’s destroy the peasants.”

“Adam, let’s go!” Moira called from her truck. Adam rolled his eyes, before jogging over to her and hopping in.

“I’ve invited Victoria to this end of summer thing. The daytime part, at least,” said Robert, tucking Seb’s blanket a little tighter around him. It may still be summer, but the dark nights were starting to draw in, hints of the upcoming autumn creeping into the village.

“Your sister Victoria?” Aaron sounded surprised.

“Yeah, she loves this sort of stuff, and she’s been begging for a visit for weeks now.”

“But what about…?” Robert knew what Aaron was thinking.

“She can get the bus here and I can drop her off home without being seen. Dad doesn’t have to know.”

God, he hoped that was true.

****

The last few days of summer dwindled along slowly. Robert went to work, played with Seb, hung out with Aaron and Adam (they only came third in the pub quiz, to Adam’s shame) and kept working on the B&B’s social media presence. 

Last week, he’d overheard a couple tell Eric that they’d found The Grange online when they’d been searching for an last-minute staycation, and had decided to go ahead and book after seeing how nice it looked. The pleased look on Eric’s face as he checked them in almost made Robert punch the air with vindication. 

The day of the August Bank Holiday dawned bright and clear, warm sunshine in a blue sky without showing any signs of abating.

Robert was on a half-shift that morning, then off to pick Seb up his playdate with Dotty.

“Has Eric roped you into helping out this afternoon?” Laurel asked.

“Oh yeah, quick lunch and then muggins here has agreed to set up the sodding piñatas, plus anything else Eric can think of,” Robert rolled his eyes as he headed for the door.

“Well, I’ll be coming by early to decorate, so I’ll see you there!”

Robert made his way to the cafe, where Aaron was waiting with sandwiches and crisps.

“Okay,” Robert huffed as he sat down opposite him, adjusting Seb in his lap. “We have exactly thirteen minutes to eat this, then meet Eric and your gran at the B&B to pick up party stuff before he has a full-blown meltdown.”

Aaron blinked at him. “Hi Aaron, how was your morning? Oh, not bad thanks, and hey, don’t worry about thanking me for getting lunch or for helping you out today or anything.”

“Yes, yes, I’m eternally grateful,” Robert waved a dismissive hand, which Seb instantly reached up to grab with both tiny fists. “I’m just trying to avoid us both of us getting a bollocking for being late,” he saved, shoving a handful of crisps into his mouth.

“You do realise this is another favour you owe me,” Aaron smirked around his sandwich.

“Put it on my tab.”

They scoffed down their food in record time, before exiting the cafe, still bickering as they did so. Had Robert been paying more attention, he might have noticed the rusted red truck parked haphazardly outside the B&B sooner.  When he did eventually look ahead of him, he stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that truck. 

He watched in horror as a tall figure in a flatcap climbed out and slammed the door roughly behind him. His dad. Closely followed by Andy, Diane and Victoria, all spilling out and looking up at the B&B.

This couldn’t be happening.

Aaron had stopped too, looking concerned at Robert’s wide eyes and pale face.

“Hey, what’s up?” He followed Robert’s gaze and saw what had caught his attention.

“Wait, is that…?”

Robert could only nod, feeling queasy as the lunch he’d rushed through threatened to come back up. Oh god, his dad was striding quickly into the B&B, flannel coat flying behind him as he went.

He quickly turned to Aaron. “I need you to take Seb.”

“What?”

“Now.” Robert thrust Seb into Aaron’s arms, causing him to squawk in protest at the abrupt movement. “Please, just get him out of here. Take him to yours or something.”

“No way, I’m not just gonna leave y – “

“Aaron _please_.”

Aaron hesitated, before giving him a nod, holding Seb tightly with both hands. “Fine, but if you’re not back in fifteen minutes, I’m coming over.”

Robert took off running to the B&B, sprinting past a frightened-looking Victoria. He barely heard her cry, “Robert I’m sorry!” as he barrelled through the door just in time to see his father screaming bloody murder in Eric and Faith’s faces. 

_Fuck._

“Eric, Faith, I’m so sorry – “

Jack whirled around, his face like thunder. “So _here_ you are, then.”

“Dad, what are you _doing_?”

“What am _I_ doing? What the hell do you think _you’re_ playing at, running off like you have?”

“I didn’t – I didn’t run off, I moved out. I’m eighteen, I can go wherever I want, you can’t stop me.”

Jack scoffed. “Oh yes, because it’s all about what _you_ want, isn’t it?” 

“Dad, please, you need to leave – ” 

“You giving me orders now, lad?” Jack cut him off with a sneer that he was all-too familiar with.

Robert fell silent.

“You think you can just walk away from your family? From your responsibilities? As usual you’ve been selfish and – “

“Mr Sugden,” Eric’s voice cut across the room, hard as steel. He made his way around the front desk until he stood toe-to-toe with Jack.

“You are disturbing my guests and harassing my employee. He’s made it quite clear that he no wish to speak to you, so I suggest you listen to him and leave immediately.”

“This is none of your business so if you don’t mind – “

“Actually sunshine,” Faith cut in, looking more formidable than Robert had ever seen her. Her long nails clicked on the desk in a way that reminded Robert of a cat’s claws. “You made it our business when you came storming in here and started bothering our Robert.”

Jack looked at her incredulously. “I’m sorry, _your_ – ”

“Yes, _our_ Robert. He’s our employee and we look after our own round here  –  that includes him. What’re you going to do about it, eh?” She arched a perfectly penciled-in eyebrow at Jack, looking at him like he was something particularly nasty stuck on her heeled shoe.

There was a moment of silence as Jack breathed heavily, face red and eyes darting between Eric and Faith. When he realised he wasn’t going to get anywhere with either of them, he turned to Robert and suddenly lunged towards him violently. Robert didn’t know whether it was to grab him or hit him, but either way he never found out.

In a surprisingly fast move for someone his age, Eric managed to plant himself in front of Robert, blocking Jack’s path.

“Mr Sugden, I will not tell you again,” his voice had dropped to a furious growl. “Get your _filthy boots_ off my property and get back into your truck this instant, or I will call the police. Or better yet, throw you out myself.”

Jack huffed angrily before storming outside, slamming the door so hard the whole room seemed to rattle. Robert stood frozen for a moment, before dashing outside after him. 

“Why did you even come here?” He called at Jack’s retreating back. “You told me not to come back, you pretty much _disowned_ me.”

“Oh, save the self-pity, Robert,” Jack threw over his shoulder. “ _You_ chose not to be a part of this family; the only thing that matters to you is yourself.”

“You’ve got that right,” Andy added from his spot next to Diane and Victoria.

Rober’s hands curled into clenched fists, rage he hadn't felt since the day he'd left the farm coursing through him. They still saw him as nothing more than the family fuckup, as the angry kid that he hadn’t been for months – _years_.

“No, the only thing that matters to me is my son. And making sure he’s happy. It’s called being a good dad, you should try it sometime.”

Jack finally turned to face him properly, laughing mirthlessly.

“A good – what, by scrubbing floors and raising your kid in some _shack_ – ”

“Excuse you, it is not a _shack_ ,” Faith cried from her spot in the doorway of the B&B.

Jack pressed on as though he hadn’t heard her. “You’re no _father_ , you’re just a kid, a stupid boy.’”

“He’s a better father than _you_ are.” Suddenly Aaron was there, looking livid as he stood at Robert’s side.

“Who the hell are you?”

Aaron crossed his arms, a thoroughly unimpressed expression on his face. “I’m Robert’s friend, what’s it to you?”

Jack stared at Aaron for a moment, before shaking his head. “I don’t have time for this rubbish. Robert, you get your stuff, get your son from wherever you’ve dumped him, then you get in the car and come home.” His voice began increasing in volume, leaving no room for argument. 

But when had that ever stopped someone like Aaron?

“He’s not goin’ anywhere with you, you prick. Even if he tried, I wouldn’t let him.” 

Robert laid a calming hand on Aaron’s elbow, before taking a deep breath and schooling his face into what he hoped was a blank expression. He wasn’t going to lose his temper, he _refused_.

“The farm’s not my home, not anymore. You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going back.”

“Listen, you little – ”

“Robert?” A voice called out, and they all looked across the street to see Bob, Brenda and Doug stood outside the cafe, all of them looking slightly alarmed. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks, Brenda,” he said offering her a grateful smile.

“Are you sure? Do you want us to call the police?”

“No, honestly, he was just leaving. Weren’t you, Dad?”

Had the situation not been so serious, Robert might have laughed at the look of sheer confusion on Jack’s face, the way he twisted and turned to stare at the small crowd of people gathering; Brenda and the others hovering nearby, Aaron stood next to Robert, Eric and Faith behind him. Not to mention a few other villagers who’d stopped to take in the scene, watching Jack warily.

Robert could see the exact moment that the fight left Jack. He’d realised that this was a battle he wasn’t going to win, and he didn’t like it. 

“I’m done here.”

“Yeah, I think you are,” Aaron muttered, smirking when Jack fixed him with an angry glare.

“The sooner the better, and I’ll thank you to steer clear of my lawn as you go,” Eric called out, irritation clear in his voice. 

Jack shot them a dismissive look before returning to the truck. He wrenched open the driver’s door with a creak and paused, fixing his gaze on Robert.

“Have it your way, do whatever you want. But I’m telling you now, Robert, this was your last chance. You may be my son, but after today, you feel like nothing to me.”

There was a time when Robert would have made one hell of a scene, would have called his dad all sorts and done whatever it took to defend himself. Would have lashed out, shouted and screamed at his entire family and damn the consequences, but not anymore. He was done with all that. He was done with _him_.

“Yeah? Well maybe I’ve felt like nothing to you all my life.” 

Jack didn’t respond, simply getting into the truck and barking at the others to do the same. As always, Andy was quick to follow him, already sliding into the backseat without even throwing a glance Robert’s way. Apparently he wasn’t in the mood for offering any parting words, which suited Robert just fine.

Victoria darted forwards, tears running down her face. “Robert, I swear I didn’t tell him you were here, he looked at my phone without me knowing, I’m so sorry I – ”

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s not your fault.”

“Victoria! Get in the car _now_!”

“You’d better go.” Victoria bit her lip, looking torn. “Vic, I don’t want you getting in trouble, just go with them, it’s fine.” 

She let out a tiny sob before hugging him quickly, squeezing her arms around his waist so tightly it was hard to breathe. He took a moment to inhale deeply into her hair, committing her to memory as best he could in the few seconds he had.

“Give Seb my love,” she sniffed and ran to the truck, hosting herself in alongside Andy.

Diane, who’d been silent throughout the entire confrontation (no change there, really), hesitated for a moment before pulling a small envelope out of her pocket and pressing it into Robert’s hand.

“It’s not much, but there’s a bit of cash in there, you can get Seb something nice for his birthday," she smiled sadly. “You look after yourself, okay pet?” 

She patted him on the shoulder, before adjusting her handbag on her shoulder and returning to the passenger’s seat. To Jack’s side.

The engine revved painfully and the truck tore up the street, tyres screeching. The only passenger to look back was Victoria, who Robert could see twisting in her seat to get one last look before they disappeared around the corner.

And just as suddenly as they had arrived, they were gone. 

Faith was the first one to move, coming up to Robert and fussing over him worriedly.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?”

Robert nodded minutely. “I’m sorry he shouted at you both.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble, love. We’ve dealt with worse than the likes of him in our time,” she waved his apology away and looked over at the villagers still lingering. “Show’s over, folks. Move along, the lot of you!” 

Robert turned to Eric.

“Thanks for, y’know, sticking up for me.” He hardly dared look at him. Part of him was convinced he was about to get sacked on the spot. Eric seemed like the last man to put up with any sort of trouble being brought to his door.

Eric stared at him for a moment. 

“I won’t have strangers shouting abuse in my place of business – ” Robert winced. _Here it comes._ " – especially when it’s at one of my employees. As Faith said before, you are one of our own now.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Well, that wasn't what he'd been expecting.

“Quite alright. Now, don’t worry about helping set up for the party. Ah, no – ” He held up a hand before Robert could protest. “You take some time, then bring that lad of yours along later and have some fun with him. Agreed?”

Robert nodded.

“Good. Faith, we need to get cracking.”

Faith rolled her eyes but followed Eric inside the B&B, and then it was just Robert and Aaron.

“Sorry, I know I said I wouldn’t come, but I just didn’t wanna leave you to face him on your own, y’know?” The anger was gone from Aaron’s face; he rubbed his hands together a little awkwardly.

“S’okay, don't be sorry. Thank you.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

Robert automatically opened his mouth to insist that he was, then closed it and shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“He had no right to talk to you like that, you're well shot of him.”

Robert just pressed his lips together tightly. As the gravity of what had just happened began to sink in, he didn’t really trust himself to speak. Aaron seemed to read his mind, and stepped towards him.

“Come on,” he tugged on Robert’s sleeve. “Let’s just hang out and watch crap telly before we go to the party, yeah?” He slung an arm over Robert’s shoulders and lead him down the road.

They slowly made their way to the pub, when Robert suddenly stopped short.

“Aaron?”

“Yeah?”

“…Where’s my child?”

“Oh! He’s fine. I left him with Adam.”

“Not sure those two sentences go together… ”

“Oi, he’s not _that_ bad, he looks after Isaac all the time.”

“I know, I’ve seen him try to play fetch with him.”

****

“Mate, please,” Robert tried to reason with his son as the day drew to a close. “I get that you like the sand, I do, but you really don’t want it in your mouth. No one wants that.” 

He brushed Seb’s face clean for what felt like the millionth time, before pulling him out of the sandpit and placing him gently on the grass. Much safer territory.

“Look what we just won!” Robert looked up to see Aaron and Adam bounding over, both of holding ridiculously massive teddy bears aloft.

“You two not a bit old to still be sleeping with teddies?” Robert raised an eyebrow.

“They’re for Isaac and Seb, smartarse,” said Adam, brandishing the bear in Robert’s face. “Speaking of, I’d better go find him and Holly, said I’d watch the bonfire with them. Later!” He took off, ducking under a string of flamingo-shaped bunting as he went.

Aaron plopped down on the grass and placed his own bear in front of Seb. 

“Here you go, little man, that’s for you.”

Seb looked up at it in awe (Robert couldn’t blame him, it was nearly twice his size), before digging his hands into the soft plush fur with delight.

“Wasn’t that nice of Aaron, Seb?”

“Bhabla,” Seb responded before sticking one of the paws in his mouth.

Aaron grinned. “You’re welcome, bud.”

“Thanks, you really didn’t have to get him anything.”

“Eh, I just wanted the chance to beat Adam at the shooting game. Winning the bear was just a bonus.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, watching Aaron’s relatives start to light the bonfire a few feet away from them.

“Good day, then?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah, not bad, considering, well… ” Robert trailed off, casting his mind back to the events of the morning.

Aaron hesitated. “Have you heard anything from Victoria?”

Robert shook his head. “No, Dad’s probably taken her phone off her. And even if he hadn’t, now I know he’s checking her messages so… ”

“Arsehole.”

“Yep.” Robert’s heart sank slightly; the one connection he’d had to his sister was gone, at least for the time being.

“What I don’t get is why he even came looking for you,” Aaron mused, staring at the bonfire’s flames began to curl higher into the air. “If he’s so pissed off with you, I mean.”

“Honestly?” Robert sighed. “Part of me thinks he only wanted me back because – because he couldn’t stand that I’d chosen to leave before he’d had the chance to throw me out.”

Aaron turned to look at him sharply. “What, like you denied him the satisfaction or something?”

“I don’t know, maybe.”

“Jesus Christ.” Aaron shook his head, disgust clear on his face.

“Well, for what it’s worth, m’glad you left… ” He looked back at Robert, his frown giving way to a small smile. “And that you’re here, not back there. You know?”

Robert gazed back at him, watching the way the nearby flames cast shadows on his face, the way his eyes shone in the semi-darkness. _Shit, you're still so gone on him._

“I know… ” he whispered back. 

They stared at each other for a long moment, until Aaron bit his lip and shifted back on the grass.

“I mean, don’t tell Adam but you’re kind of my best friend. After Seb, obviously,” he added, laughing when Seb glanced up from the bear at the sound of his name, looking at Aaron quizzically. 

“Yeah, I’m talking about you, squirt.” He ruffled Seb’s hair and stood up.

“I’m gonna get some marshmallows from Marlon, you want any?”

Robert cleared his throat. “Go on, then.”

“‘Kay, be right back.” 

And Aaron was gone, sauntering off with his hands tucked into his hoodie.

Robert pulled Seb (and the bear he was holding in a vice grip) towards him. “C’mere, you.”

He sat with his arms around Seb, watching Aaron as he chatted with a group of fellow Dingles, laughing and punching Sam’s arm over something he’d said.

“Your loser of a Dad’s got a best friend, can you believe it?” He mumbled, to which Seb paid very little attention, still preoccupied with his new favourite toy. “That’s new.”

And it was, sad as it sounded. Robert had never had a best friend before, other than Andy for about five minutes (and if that wasn’t ironic, he didn’t know what was). If he was completely honest, he couldn’t remember the last time anyone other than his mum had really given a damn about him. He wasn’t used to it.

But as his gaze wandered from Aaron to the rest of the villagers; to Eric and Faith, Finn and Tracy, Bob, Laurel, Doug, Adam… he wondered if it might become something he _would_ get used to.

“Hey,” he squeezed Seb, who finally looked up at him with a gummy smile. “What do you think, shall we stick around for good? Make this a proper home?”

Seb released the bear in favour of clinging to Robert’s shoulder with one hand and patting his cheek with the other.

“Bah!”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the final chapter in this part of the series! I'm working on the next instalment now, so the first chapter should be up soon. 
> 
> Thanks so much for sticking with this universe so far, guys, I'll see you for the next part of the story!


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